Domovinski pokret (DP) MP Nikola Bartulica said on Thursday that he would insist that four issues be included in the DP-HDZ agreement: ending "ideological colonisation", opening consular offices for Croats living abroad, an investigation into the COVID pandemic and a museum for the victims of communism.

After Bartulica’s press conference, a Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) MP, Davor Ivo Stier, said he was confident that the two parties’ teams would “fine-tune the new government’s agenda”.

Bartulica told the press that he would demand the inclusion of the above four points as a precondition for his support for the new government. “Andrej Plenkovic as prime minister-designate will get my support, but we should finalise a few things now.”

After the formation of a new parliamentary majority without the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), we should determine the course that Croatia will take in the coming period, the DP official said.

“Removal of all content that alludes to gender ideology”

In this context, he believes it is necessary to put an end to the “ideological colonisation” of Croatia.

“This means that all content that alludes to gender ideology must be removed and that any attempt to indoctrinate children in our school system must be stopped. The last thing we need is to confuse children in public schools. Therefore, this policy will change and we will not blindly implement content imposed from the outside,” he said.

The second point is the opening of consulates for the Croatian diaspora, especially in South America, to facilitate the arrival of people with a Croatian background from other countries in Croatia, Bartulica said.

He also insists on addressing all issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The politician wants to set up a museum in Zagreb to commemorate the victims of the communist regime.

Croatia, unlike other Central European countries, has not carried out lustration, he noted.

New model for financing the weekly newspaper “Novosti”

On the issue of funding for the weekly newspaper “Novosti”, which is published by the Serbian National Council (SNV), Bartulica said that funding for 2024 has already been approved. In the future, however, a new model will be defined for this issue, he added.

“It is a big problem when taxpayers have to finance a newspaper that is a tool for a confrontation with ideological opponents, and that is not the essence of the policy of protecting minorities. Why should we (taxpayers) fund a newspaper that mocks the Catholic Church and entrepreneurs who are in favour of the market economy?”

As for Bartulica’s demands, Stier said later in the day that he was confident the teams would continue to harmonise agendas, as they had been successful in their previous negotiations.

“I believe this will be a successful centre-right government that reflects the will of the voters in the April 17 election,” Stier said.