The term of the incumbent attorney-general, Dinko Cvitan, expires next week, and his successor should be nominated as soon as possible, the parliamentary group of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) said on Monday.

Under the law, the procedure for the appointment of a new Attorney-General must be initiated three months before the end of the incumbent’s term, SDP MP Pedja Grbin told a press conference, calling on the government to nominate the candidate so that the Parliament could complete the procedure.

The appointment is of utmost importance, said Grbin, because the attorney-general prosecutes all perpetrators of criminal offences in the country, protects its economic interests and represents Croatia in arbitration proceedings.

Commenting on the performance of the current Attorney-General Dinko Cvitan, Grbin said that there were some hiccups during his tenure, but that he would not object to Cvitan remaining in this role for another four years.