HDZ leader talks about MOST’s decision to vote for Ostojic.
HDZ president and First Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Karamarko said yesterday that HDZ had remained firm in its opposition to Ranko Ostojić (SDP) as the new Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs and National Security, but that MPs from MOST had made a different decision and supported him in Parliament. Karamarko added that statements coming from MOST show that they share the same opinion of Ostojić like HDZ, reports Vecernji List on February 13, 2016.
Talking to reporters in Šibenik, Karamarko said that Croatia was a country where you are allowed to think differently. “Their choice is a matter for them. We are a pluralist society and we can think differently, but their statements actually show that they think about Mr. Ostojić the same way we do”, said Karamarko. He reiterated that former Interior Minister Ostojić was not the right person for this post and that he was elected just due to certain parliamentary traditions.
Asked whether he saw the election of Ostojić as his personal political defeat since HDZ’s coalition partner has not sided with his party, Karamarko denied it and added that he does not expect that everyone will say the same thing all the time. In all essential matters, HDZ is in agreement with its partners and nurtures a high-quality political relationship with them, he added.
Journalists asked Karamarko whether he has already started preparing for the forthcoming intraparty elections. He replied that he was not focusing on that issue since he has a lot of work in the government. As far as the intraparty elections are concerned, everyone has a right to be a candidate for any position, he said and added that he was always ready for a fair fight with other candidates, just like he did during the last elections.
Talking about the dismissal of Security Intelligence Agency Director Dragan Lozančić, Karamarko said that Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković has still not made his decision because he wanted to take some more time to consider the issue. Asked what if the Prime Minister were to make a decision contrary to President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who has already signed Lozančić’s dismissal, Karamarko replied that this would lead to a paralysis, but added that he did not expect that to happen.
