Opposition members of parliament, both right and left, said on Wednesday that they would support a motion by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) which has been collecting signatures to launch a procedure to have Economy Minister Tomislav Coric and Health Minister Vili Beros replaced.

The Homeland Movement’s whip, Stjepo Bartulica, said he believed his party group would support the motion.

He recalled that the Homeland Movement had already submitted a request for an interpellation on the government’s conduct in the Krs-Padjene wind park affair.

That scandal should really cause concern among Croatian citizens, he told reporters in the parliament.

“Green policies cost. They may sound good, but contracts in that case were signed for a period of 14 years. It is estimated that the effect of those harmful contracts for Croatian taxpayers exceeds two billion kuna,” Bartulica said, adding that more than one government was responsible for the case but that Minister Coric was the most responsible, which was why the Homeland Movement would support his replacement.

As for the motion to replace Health Minister Beros, Bartulica said that the situation in healthcare could not be covered up and that one should exert pressure to reform the system as soon as possible.

Oreskovic: Coric deserves to be replaced

MP Dalija Oreskovic (SSIP, Pametno, GLAS) said that she would support the motion for Coric’s replacement because she believes that there are elements in his work that warrant such a move.

“If we were a law-based state, the moment when information became public that Coric went to the famous illegal club (run by former JANAF CEO Dragan Kovacevic, arrested on corruption charges) and was there in the company of the person who falls within his ministerial remit, he should have resigned of his own accord for reasons of civility, maintenance of democratic standards and the fact that it was an evident conflict of interest,” Oreskovic said.

Asked if she would support the SDP’s motion for Minister Beros to step down, Oreskovic said that she believed a part of the opposition would submit a joint motion regarding Beros and that her party group would take part in it.

She warned that the health system had collapsed and that the coronavirus pandemic was being used as an excuse for structural problems in the system that had not been dealt with by anyone.