The future HDZ-Domovinski pokret (DP) government can only be toppled by the European Public Prosecutor's Office, Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Pedja Grbin said on Thursday, adding that the coalition between these parties is driven by money and financial interests and not by programmes.

If we see which ministries the Domovinski pokret applied for and got, “it is completely clear that it is about financial interests… The only thing that can bring down this government in the next four years is the EPPO,” he told the press.

That is why, according to Grbin, the government is fighting against the EPPO’s jurisdiction in the case of the Zagreb Faculty of Geodesy and against the publication of information from the investigation by the media, “which is really in the public interest. That is why Ivan Turudic was appointed (as State Attorney-General) to cover up cases in which European funds were stolen.”

“Forgotten” Lex AP

Grbin said that in the negotiations between the HDZ and the Domovinski pokret parties on the formation of a parliamentary majority and the next government, the “burning Croatian problem, corruption”,” was not mentioned and that the Domovinski pokret used the negotiations to put the amendment of several important laws on the table.

The Domovinski pokret voted against the Lex AP (amendments to the Criminal Code criminalising the unauthorised disclosure of information from investigations) and the appointment of Turudic in parliament just a few months ago, “but today they are not saying a word about it,” Grbin said, adding: “This is outrageous and further undermines citizens’ trust in politics and the political process.”

Grbin also criticised Milorad Pupovac, the leader of the Independent Democratic Serb Party, for “continuing to defend Lex AP after two devastating reports on the state of media freedom were published.”

At no point did the SDP talk to the Domovinski pokret about forming a government, but only about the parliament’s constitution, which “contains certain principles that will ensure that the fight against corruption really begins,” Grbin said.

Internal party elections in the SDP on 10 June

He said that the problem of Croatian society was neither the position of a national minority nor the financing of a weekly newspaper, referring to the Serbian minority newspaper Novosti. The attitude towards national minorities is a civilisational rather than an ideological issue, he added.

“The fact that the HDZ has given in on this issue and that the elected representatives of national minorities are not willing to fight for those who elected them is below any level.”

As for the fact that the Domovinski pokret will take over the ministries of demography, agriculture and energy, Grbin said that this was a matter of the coalition agreement with the HDZ.

“It will be controversial if it is used to favour someone. Then we have to be careful, be cautious and control everything. They have done everything to deprive us and the media of the tools that should help.”

As for the internal party elections in the SDP, Grbin said that the election processes will start on 10 June, after the European Parliament elections.

These elections are important, Grbin said, referring to the Labour law, which has put the platform’s workers in a “catastrophic situation” due to the EU, but must be amended in the next two years to give workers the protection the SDP sought when the law was passed.