ZAGREB, August 13, 2019 – Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardić said on Tuesday that the failure to call an extraordinary session of the parliament would constitute a gross violation of the Constitution but he would not comment on SDP presidential candidate Zoran Milanovic’s position that calling such a session would set a precedent, noting that “everyone is entitled to their opinion”.
“The Constitution is clear, it says that an extraordinary parliament session has to be called within 30 days from the submission of such a motion,” Bernardić told a news conference.
He would not comment on Milanović’s statement given this past weekend that if the president of the republic called a special session of the parliament in response to an Opposition motion for a parliamentary debate on a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, the same thing could happen several times a year, during every summer and winter recess of the parliament.
“As for individual interpretations, everyone is entitled to their opinion but I think that things are pretty clear here. I will not comment on or question positions by individual presidential candidates,” said Bernardić.
The Office of the President said in a statement last Friday that with regard to a request sent to her by the opposition Bridge party to call an extraordinary session of the parliament to discuss a vote of no confidence in Minister Kujundžić, she would make a decision on the request if the Constitutional Court ruled that conditions for such a move had been created.
Constitutional Court President Miroslav Šeparović commented on this by saying that the president is not authorised to call on the Constitutional Court to act in line with its powers but that she can, in line with the Constitution, submit a request for an extraordinary parliament session.
MOST party MP Robert Podolnjak then accused Šeparović of having sided with the parliamentary majority and the government by not stating the court’s position on the Opposition’s motion for a special parliamentary debate on a vote of no confidence in the health minister, thus making it possible for the constitutional deadline of 30 days within which the parliament must discuss such motions, to expire.
More SDP news can be found in the Politics section.
