Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Friday temporarily relocated her office to the eastern city of Osijek, where she will stay until June 4.

At the official opening of the temporary Office of the President in Osijek, Kolinda-Grabar-Kitarovic criticised the government and called for a joint effort in solving the burning problems in Croatia.

The relations between the government and the president took a turn for the worse in the last week, after Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic slammed her proposal for a joint government session on demographic policy, calling it “not serious.”

“Many people in Croatia feel the injustices of an unequal system. Political elites have become alienated from the people, and now they are surprised that the so-called populist alternatives are blooming. The problem, however, is not in populism, the problem is in the fact that the politicians must get out of their Zagreb salons and feel the pulse of the people,” President said.

She added that all Croatians wanted was a decent life, where they will not have to worry about how many children they can afford to have, or if they can pay their phone bill.

“This is why young people leave the country, especially Slavonia. They are disappointed in us because they think we do not see what is happening, that we live in a virtual world,” she said.

She said the government’s response to the population drain was inadequate.

“It is high time concrete measures are created and implemented to solve (the crisis). This is why, in line with the Constitution, I suggested a joint government session on demographic policy and problems of citizens with blocked bank accounts. That was my duty to the people of Croatia,” she said.

“I regret that the government had refused my suggestion, and I will present the measures I have prepared with my advisors on June 11,” she said.

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said there was no need for a special cabinet meeting between the President and the government, because his government was already implementing measures to solve the problem of demography. He also said the President was welcome to put her suggestions forward, but that he had not received any concrete proposals from her on the subject.

“This year was supposed to be the year of reforms, because it is not an election year. Next year we have the European Parliament election, and in 2020 we are taking over the presidency of the EU which will occupy the government’s attention. Unfortunately, half the year is behind us, and the reforms are standing still,” she said.

We are running out of time, we need to create space for entrepreneurship, new jobs, and higher salaries, she added.

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