After weeks of negotiations, HDZ and SDP will tomorrow finally vote on two critical issues.
Branko Bačić, chairman of the HDZ Parliamentary Caucus, and Arsen Bauk, chairman of the SDP Caucus, have announced in the Parliament that an agreement had been reached regarding the establishment of the parliamentary committee of inquiry on Agrokor and on the election of three judges of the Constitutional Court, reports N1 on October 10, 2017.
The committee will start with its investigative activities on 30 October, Bačić said and added that the committee chairman would be Orsat Miljenić, former SDP’s Justice Minister.
Once the committee is established and its members are appointed, members of Parliament will then vote on three candidates for judges of the Constitutional Court. The voting will take place individually, for each of the three candidates.
“Seven months after the parliamentary committee announced a public call for the election of constitutional judges, this will finally end this lengthy procedure and thus enable the Constitutional Court to work with all seats filled. We have also agreed that tomorrow morning we will have at least 110 votes for the election of the investigative committee and the constitutional judges,” Bačić said. The election of the Constitutional Court judges requires the support of at least two-thirds of all MPs (101), which is the reason why HDZ had to negotiate with the largest opposition party.
Bauk expressed satisfaction with the agreement. “We have decided that today we will not answer any question, so not to cause additional controversy,” he told reporters.
“It is important that we have managed to find a consensus so that we can ensure normal operation of the Constitutional Court and the establishment of the committee of inquiry to investigate the circumstances,” said Bačić.
Bauk pointed out that the two parties had come to the agreement before the results of the audit of Agrokor were announced. “Tomorrow at 10:30 we will have the committee and constitutional judges, and we will be able to continue arguing as hard as we have done so far. If I were to say this was SDP’s victory, I could endanger the deal, so I do not want to say it at this point,” Bauk said, asked whether the deal was his party’s triumph. SDP has conditioned its support for the election of new Constitutional Court judges by HDZ’s support for the establishment of the Agrokor committee. HDZ initially refused but has now changed its mind.
Bačić was asked whether the agreement was HDZ’s defeat. “HDZ did not give up on anything. It has been important for us to elect constitutional judges for the very start. We have been talking for six months now. For the election of judges, it is necessary that SDP’s MPs vote for them. We have all won today. We will elect constitutional judges and set up the committee of inquiry,” concluded Bačić.
Translated from N1.
