ZAGREB, October 29, 2018 – The head of the parliamentary group of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Branko Bačić said on Monday that Milan Bandić, leader of the Milan Bandic 365 party, had not asked to be added to the government and Bačić ruled out a government reshuffle, which the media speculate about following a rise in the number of lawmakers in the parliamentary club of Bandić’s party.
The current government is halfway into its four-year term, Bačić said, adding that he could not speculate if there would be any changes in the make-up of the government later on, but currently there was no talk of a government reshuffle. “A marked increase in the number of lawmakers in Bandić’s club says a lot about political parties and clubs which those lawmakers who joined Bandić left. This does not mean anything for the relations in the ruling majority,” Bačić said when asked by reporters about the crossing of the floor and changes in sizes of parliamentary clubs.
Bačić also refused to answer hypothetical questions about what could happen if Bandić asked the government to be given a department. “I am not worried about the motives of those who have joined Bandić’s club,” Bačić said, adding that the HDZ had a stable majority of those who support it and the government.
As for Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) leader Darinko Kosor’s statement that his party would leave the ruling coalition if Zagreb mayor Bandić’s party joined the government, Bačić said that his message was that the HSLS should continue cooperating with the current ruling majority. “Darinko Kosor is an extremely fair coalition partner. There has been no dispute so far on any important topic and we will continue cooperating with the HSLS,” Bačić said.
MP Stjepan Čuraj of the Croatian People’s Party (HNS) said on Monday that this junior partner in the ruling coalition would no longer be part of the government if Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić’s party joined it and that, if that happened, the HNS’ Construction Minister Predrag Štromar and Education Minister Blaženka Divjak would leave.
“Eighteen months ago we gave a show of confidence in Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and this government and we absolutely don’t expect that to happen. However, if it does happen, there will be absolutely no support for Milan Bandić in the government nor his associates from the Independents for Croatia in the Zagreb City Council,” Čuraj told reporters.
He said the HNS “won’t participate in such a government” and that its motives for joining the government were “clear, education first and foremost,” which he said was obstructed by those against change such as Bandić. “We certainly can’t continue to work on what we promised citizens if someone who is against that joins the government.”
MP Marija Puh recently left the HNS to join Bandić’s party.
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