The end of the political journey of the change of government in Croatia is almost upon us.
Prime Minister-designate Tihomir Orešković will today present his government to the Croatian Parliament which will be followed by debate and vote of confidence. The parliament will also elect Deputy Speakers and members of about 30 parliamentary committees, reports Vecernji List and Jutarnji List on January 22, 2016.
Parliament Speaker Željko Reiner confirmed that everything was ready for the parliamentary session which should later today officially confirm the new Croatian government which will immediately take power. “We are going to work as scheduled, so first we will elect Deputy Speakers, Parliament Secretary and other officials, and then the PM-designate will present the government and its program of activities”, said Reiner. He expressed his hope that the debate will be constructive and that the opposition will not stall until late at night. “There are no reasons for delay”, said the Speaker.
He dismissed as “utter nonsense” claims that the government must be confirmed before midnight, since the constitutional deadline is expiring. “It is nonsense and it is not true. Therefore, there is no reason to delay the debate”, added Reiner expressing his hope that all members will understand that and that the Parliament will have “a pleasant and normal session”.
Yesterday evening, the Patriotic Coalition and MOST parliamentary caucuses held a joint meeting with the incoming Prime Minister Orešković. “I have introduced myself and we got to know each other a little bit. All members of government have presented themselves as well. It was a very positive meeting, I hope you can see that. This is a very positive and good mix of people from private sector, public sector and academia. It is a good mix that will eventually achieve good results”, said Orešković.
He reacted to comments that there are too few women in the government, as well as too many people from the Neretva area, where MOST is headquartered. “We have three women who are very successful and will contribute to the government. We have not looked at the regional distribution, but I think we have chosen the best people we had. What is important for Croatia is the quality of ministers, and not the region they come from”, explained Orešković.
“This team is ‘Tim’s team’ and I think people are eager for us to start working”, added Orešković. He said that he did not know anything about the so-called “Registry of Traitors” proposed by incoming Minister of Veterans Affairs Mijo Crnoja. “We have not discussed it. We will sit down with each minister and define everything”, said the PM-designate.
He also commented on the criticism that, with him as Prime Minister and Zdravko Marić as Finance Minister, the financial sector was secured and that they will not disturb the financial establishment. “From the very first day, I have clearly pointed out that one of the greatest challenges is the public debt. The European Commission has confirmed today that we should solve that problem. We need to focus on public debt and deficits and have a man who has experience in public sector, who has worked both in government and in private sector”, concluded Orešković.
