MP Gordan Maras (SDP) called on the ruling HDZ on Tuesday to "stop corruption speech" and on Supreme Court president Djuro Sessa to respond to the spending of public money on President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic's election rally yesterday, while Mirando Mrsic (Democrats) urged those in power to stop turning Croatia into a country of public sector parasites.

Maras said in parliament the rally “cost hundreds of thousands of kuna which was paid by taxpayers, the officials who sat there are all paid from the state budget or local governments.”

He wondered what kind of judiciary Croatia has when HDZ members call for stopping hate speech but not “corruption speech.” “When you see in the front row of the president’s rally the corruption champion, Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic, one wonders why the HDZ doesn’t stop corruption speech.”

Maras asked Sessa to respond to the spending of public money. “Is it normal that Croatian citizens pay HRK 100,000 for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic’s presentation?”

Mrsic commented on the government’s plan to hire 98 directors instead of 88 assistant ministers. “We will save by hiring ten more parasites,” he said, adding that this would cost HRK 2.8 million.

He said that with those ten new well-paid jobs Plenkovic was securing himself another term as HDZ president at taxpayers’ expense. He added that Croatia must get rid of such an HDZ in order to start doing better.

Nikola Grmoja (Bridge) said the incumbent government had promised savings but that people would eventually pay HRK 5 million more in levies. The public administration is swelling and digitisation is not being carried out, he added.

He said Bridge had a public administration reform proposal aimed at depoliticisation and optimisation, “the oppositite of what the incumbent government is doing.”

(€1 = HRK 7.4)