At their first session after the party's congress earlier this month, the Presidency of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and its National Council met on Monday, and decided to relieve the party's political secretary, Davor Ivo Stier, and its international relations secretary, Miro Kovac, of their party posts.

The decisions, which had been speculated about in the media prior to the Monday meeting, came as a result of their recent public criticism of the party’s political course under their leader, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

Plenkovic commented on the decision after the meeting.

“Upon my proposal, we voted to relieve our political secretary Davor Ivo Stier, and the international secretary, Miro Kovac. Stier will be replaced by (Construction Minister) Lovro Kuscevic, and Kovac by (Interior Minister) Davor Bozinovic… The single most important principle in politics is trusting people. After spending two years cooperating with Stier, I decided we should part ways, he left the cabinet a year ago against my wishes, and our cooperation was not as intensive and constructive as it had been about a year and a half ago. As for Kovac, I realised that the degree of trust between the two of us is insufficient,” Plenkovic told reporters. 

Stier and Kovac are widely perceived as leaders of a conservative faction within the centre-right party, and were among several party’s officials who had openly opposed Plenkovic’s HDZ-led government’s decision to ratify the Istanbul Convention.

Plenkovic added that both Stier and Kovac will continue to be HDZ party members and MPs, and that only three members of the party’s bodies voted for the decision, with only three abstaining.

When asked if he feared whether Stier and Kovac might move to destroy the HDZ-led coalition’s thin majority in the 151-seat parliament, Plenkovic replied that he “feared absolutely nothing.”

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