Just a few days before the government is expected to be confirmed in Parliament, there are many more candidates than seats in the cabinet.
Although it is now known that the government will have one ministry less than before, the names of new/old ministers are still mostly unknown. The only three certain ministers are Davor Ivo Stier (Foreign Minister), Damir Krstičević (Defence Minister) and Zdravko Marić (Finance Minister), reports Večernji List on October 16, 2016.
Although Prime Minister-Designate Andrej Plenković has already met with all the current ministers, even they have not been told whether they would remain in their posts or be replaced. It has also been confirmed that meetings with potential new ministers have been taking place over the weekend as well.
One of unanswered questions is who will lead the new Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy. The name of demographer Stjepan Šterc can often be heard, however that does not mean that his chances are particularly good. It is not surprising that Ministry of Social Affairs has been transformed into the Ministry of Demography, since the issue of depopulation is one of the key problems in Croatia, which ultimately has an effect on the economic situation. Although experts have warned that demography and social policy are not suitable to be part of a same ministry, and that demography should have been merged with the Ministry of Regional Development, demography portfolio will have its own state secretary, which means that it is not so important to which ministry it belongs.
Since the new government will have just one ministry less than before (the Ministry of Entrepreneurship has been merged with the Ministry of Economy), it is clear that Andrej Plenković will not put emphasis on reduction of bureaucracy. A year ago, then HDZ president Tomislav Karamarko announced that the optimal number of ministries was 14, but the idea was quickly abandoned. Although it is clear to many that the government should have much fewer ministries, it is not easy to reduce their number, since it would meant that many party apparatchiks would lose their positions. It is interesting that even MOST is not concerned with this issue, although they claim they want to reduce the administrative burden.
It is still not clear whether the government will be confirmed in Parliament on Tuesday or Wednesday. There is only one major problem for Plenković, and that is the position of Culture Minister. Since the rightwing circles are up in arms due to possible dismissal of current Minister Zlatko Hasanbegović, it will not be easy for Plenković to decide who will be the new minister. It is not clear whether he has already made the decision or is still meeting with potential candidates. One of them was allegedly Andro Krstulović Opara, former culture advisor to President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, but he has announced he will run next year to become the Mayor of Split. The main candidate for Culture Minister is Nina Obuljen, a former Assistant Minister and State Secretary of Culture in earlier HDZ’s governments, who is considered to be a moderate, which is the reason why she has been attacked in recent days by rightwing circles. Bruna Esih, who was also mentioned as a possible replacement for Hasanbegović as recently as Saturday, said she would not accept the position and added that she supported Hasanbegović to remain at his post.
