Even though the outcome of elections is far from certain, HNS is already discussing who its ministers would be.
The latest news from HNS, a member of the SDP-led People’s Coalition, is that Anka Mrak-Taritaš, who was the Minister for Construction and Spatial Planning in the government of Zoran Milanović and was considered to be one of the most popular ministers in the government, could lose her place in the cabinet. She could be replaced by Matija Posavec, the Prefect of Međimurje County and a member of HNS presidency, who has strong support in the north of the country where the party is the strongest, reports Večernji List on August 23, 2016.
Of course, any discussion about ministerial posts is just academic before the results of the elections to be held on 11 September are known. However, it is known that, if the People’s Coalition forms the next government, HNS will have three ministerial posts, instead of four it had when it was in government last time. The People’s Coalition has reached an agreement that HNS would have the position of Deputy Prime Minister, which would belong to HNS president Ivan Vrdoljak, and three ministers. Since Vrdoljak would also be a minister, probably of transportation, and Vesna Pusić is almost certain to again become Foreign Minister, the question is who would be the third member of government. In the previous government, in addition to the Ministry of Construction and Spatial Planning, HNS also held the Ministry of Culture.
HNS leadership is quite open about the fact that they want to make Matija Posavec a nationally known politician, which is best achieved by being a minister. However, at the same time, they officially say that Anka Mrak-Taritaš would also be a minister. They note that it is too early to open the topic, since there are several possible combinations. According to one, Posavec could become a deputy minister, or he could enter the government later if Ivan Vrdoljak decides to run for Mayor of Osijek.
Matija Posavec yesterday said that he had not discussed the subject with anybody. However, given the results he has, and also the highest number of preferential votes won in the last elections, more than 18,000 of them, he said he was not surprised with such an idea.
Anka Mrak-Taritaš had no comment, saying that she was focused solely on her election campaign in which she will again have to enter Parliament through preferential votes, since HNS again placed her at a very low eighth position on the coalition’s candidate list in the second parliamentary constituency. At the last elections, Mrak-Taritaš just managed to enter Parliament. She won 10.84 percent of preferential votes on her list. The threshold needed to enter Parliament with preferential votes is 10 percent. This time her chances might be lower, because HSS has joined the coalition so more votes will be needed to reach the threshold. On the other hand, this time her list will not be headed by former SDP member Josip Leko, who was elected to the Constitutional Court in the meantime, and who last time won large majority of preferential votes.
