MOST to meet to discuss coalition negotiations – and has Prgomet been invited?
Later today, MOST will hold a meeting of its National Council to discuss the ongoing negotiations about forming the next government with HDZ’s Patriotic Coalition and SDP’s Croatia Is Growing coalition. It is unclear whether Drago Prgomet, one of former leaders of MOST who has been expelled from the party after he secretly met with Prime Minister and SDP president Zoran Milanović, has been invited to the meeting. Prgomet himself yesterday announced that he has been invited. The party first said that was not true, but later some of the MOST’s newly-elected members of parliament confirmed that Prgomet had indeed been invited, reports Index.hr and Vecernji List on November 22, 2015.
Reportedly, the National Council voted last weekend that Prgomet should come to its meeting to explain his talks with Milanović. MOST leaders Božo Petrov and Nikola Grmoja confirm that the decision has indeed been made, but that he can come to the meeting only after the negotiations with SDP and HDZ are concluded. Stipe Petrina, newly-elected member of parliament, argues that this is not true, that the decision has been passed unanimously and that no one mentioned any delay in inviting Prgomet.
Everything started yesterday morning when Prgomet announced on Facebook that will come to the meeting of the MOST National Council. “At the invitation of fellow elected representatives, I will tomorrow participate in a joint meeting of members of parliament. The reforms of the political elite and their ways of governance are a priority”, he wrote.
MOST soon released a statement denying that Prgomet had been invited. “Mr. Prgomet on his own initiative has sent messages to members of the National Council and invited himself.” Grmoja added that, if “he wants to come after the conclusion of negotiations, he can appear before the National Council to explain his actions”.
However, Stipe Petrina, also a member of the National Council, said it was not true. “The conclusion was that Drago Prgomet should be invited to the meeting.” Petrina explained that the decision did not mention any time delay.
The meeting should take place this morning in Zagreb. After the negotiations with other parties are concluded, members of the National Council should decide which coalition MOST will support in forming the government. In addition to newly-elected members of parliament, National Council includes several close associates of MOST leader Božo Petrov.
It is expected that official consultations between President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and political parties about who will form the next government will not start before Thursday. Her office announced that she will wait for the State Election Commission to publish final and official results of the elections. It is expected that Branko Hrvatin, head of State Election Commission, could announce the results of Tuesday.
However, since US Vice President Joe Biden in coming to Croatia on Wednesday, it is certain that consultations will not be held before Thursday. According to sources from the president’s office, the President will give a mandate to form the government to the person who has the support of 76 members of parliament. According to the Constitution, if the first prime minister-designate fails to form a government, “other person” will get the chance to form a majority coalition.
