Politics

ZAGREB, 17 May 2022 - President Zoran Milanović on Tuesday described as unconstitutional Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's having talked to the State Attorney General after Milanović publicly wondered what the State Attorney General was doing regarding a case of favouritism involving Defence Minister Mario Banožić. "His having phoned the State Attorney General is unconstitutional, it's serious enough to warrant impeachment," Milanović said. The president on Monday again raised the question of what the state prosecutor was doing concerning Banožić whom he accused of favouritism in a case of state property lease of two years ago, when Banožić served as the state assets minister. Following months-long…

ZAGREB, 17 May 2022 - Protection and improvement of LGBTQIA+ persons' rights in Croatia, even though it should be one of the most important topics when discussing human rights, is often marginalised, European Parliament member Predrag Matić of the Social Democratic Party said on Tuesday. "I emphasise that the current European Parliament has declared the European Union an LGBTQIA+ freedom zone in response to homophobic and discriminatory measures in some member-countries," Matić said at an event at Europe House, dedicated to the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia. "Additionally, there is an LGBTQIA+ group in the European Parliament bringing together 148…

ZAGREB, 17 May 2022 - MP Sandra Benčić (Green-Left Bloc) said on Tuesday there was no need to abolish the Constitutional Court but that the criteria for the appointment of its judges need to be changed because their decision on Monday is "legal nonsense that will be used as an example for law students". "The Constitutional Court should not be abolished because it has had some good decisions, however, the criteria for the appointment of Constitutional Court judges should be changed. The Constitutional Court's reasoning behind the decision on the initiative 'Let's decide together' will be used as an example of poor practice for future…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - The Ministry of Health said on Monday that a health inspection had been completed, with regard to the case of pregnant patient Mirela Čavajda, at the KB Sveti Duh Hospital and the Sisters of Charity Hospital in Zagreb and that procedural omissions had been established. A health inspection by the Health Ministry was conducted at the KB Sveti Duh Hospital, the Sisters of Charity Hospital, and the KB Merkur Hospital. After the entire documentation was reviewed and talks were conducted with the employees of the hospitals, it was established there were procedural omissions at the KB…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader, Andrej Plenković, said on Monday that the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Bridge party's referendum question was as expected. Earlier today, the Constitutional Court ruled that the questions in the two referendum petitions launched by the opposition Bridge party - to abolish mandatory COVID passes and transfer the powers of the national COVID response team to Parliament - were not in line with the Constitution. "We had no idea what the decision would be," said Plenković after a session of HDZ party's Presidency and National Council, dismissing claims that…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - President Zoran Milanović said on Monday that the Constitutional Court's ruling on the Bridge party's two referendum questions was "trampling on the Constitution and an act of a coup d'etat!". Earlier on Monday, the Constitutional Court concluded that the questions in the two referendum petitions launched by the opposition Bridge party - to abolish mandatory COVID passes and transfer the powers of the national COVID response team to Parliament - failed the test of constitutionality.  "What these ten judges did today is a coup d'etat. That court needs to be abolished by a referendum so they can…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - The leaders of three Croat parties in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on Monday supported President Zoran Milanović's policy considering the issues burdening Croats in that country, including his idea to block Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO unless the election law in BiH is amended. Earlier on Monday Milanović called on representatives of Croats in BiH to clearly state if they agree with his policy so that he can continue pursuing it. "I support President Milanović's policy and call on institutions in Croatia to help in finding a solution to the Croat issue in BiH and…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - Constitutional Court Chief Justice Miroslav Šeparović said on Monday that the court's decision on the Bridge party's referendum initiative related to COVID crisis management was not the defeat of that court, and called on everyone advocating the rule of law to respect court decisions. "This is by no means the Constitutional Court's defeat but it is in line with what the Constitution envisages and that is for the Constitutional Court to decide if a referendum question is in line with the Constitution. I call on everyone who advocates the rule of law to respect the court's decisions. Referendum…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - Hina's director-general Branka Gabriela Vojvodić on Monday notified the national parliament and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND) of pressure exerted by Marija Selak Raspudić, a parliamentary deputy of the Bridge party, on a Hina reporter in the parliament's press room recently. During the incident, which was provoked by the dissatisfaction of the opposition Bridge party with a news item that Hina published last Friday on the motions sponsored by the Opposition which were not supported by the ruling majority,  Bridge parliamentarian Nikola Grmoja was first to enter the press room and criticized Hina's journalists, finding fault with…

ZAGREB, 16 May 2022 - The Constitutional Court ruled on Monday that the questions in the two referendum petitions launched by the opposition Bridge party - to abolish mandatory COVID passes and transfer the powers of the national COVID response team to Parliament - were not in line with the Constitution. The decision on the first question was passed by three votes against and the decision on the second question by one vote against. The court found that the first question was not in line with the rule of law because it does not meet the requirement of "reasonable purposefulness and…