ZAGREB, February 27, 2018 – After the opposition MOST party suggested the launch of procedure for a vote of no confidence against Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Martina Dalić, and accordingly convened a meeting of opposition parties in the parliament for Wednesday, it remains to be seen whether the strongest opposition party – the Social Democratic Party (SDP) – will join this initiative.
“A majority of opposition parties have responded positively, however we are still waiting for the SDP to give its position,” MOST lawmaker Nikola Grmoja said on Tuesday. We will see who will turn out at the meeting. Everyone has been invited, he added.
Grmoja said that for the MOST it was not important who would be the initiator of the procedure, but it was essential to reach agreement among opposition MPs.
The latest developments surrounding the private debt-laden Agrokor after the resignation of emergency administrator Ante Ramljak prompted the opposition to criticise Minister Dalić who is perceived by opposition lawmakers as the person who actually had a say in appointing Ramljak to this position last year.
Last time the opposition seriously tried to dismiss a cabinet minister was in May 2017 when Finance Minister Zdravko Marić survived a vote of no-confidence in the 151-seat parliament. The 75 lawmakers voted for the motion for the dismissal of the minister whom they accused of the conflict of interest in connection with the ailing private food and retail group Agrokor, and the same number voted against the motion, with one lawmaker abstaining. The SDP, which initiated the vote, failed to muster the 76 votes needed to dismiss Marić. However, the vote did split the then ruling coalition and prompted a coalition reshuffle, with MOST leaving the coalition and HNS crossing over to the government benches.
