Domovinski pokret (DP) leader Ivan Penava, called on Tuesday for a 100-day grace period for his party's ministers. He pointed out that the DP had still not spoken to its coalition partner, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), about the distribution of the posts of state secretaries.

The talks within the governing coalition about the government are underway, there is still a lot of work ahead of us, the portfolios have been distributed, but we have not yet discussed the posts of state secretaries, Penava said at a press conference.

He called on the press to give the DP quota ministers a 100-day period to familiarise themselves with the situation. It is not realistic to expect them to know everything in their first few days in office, he said.

“Judging by the questions the ministers have been asked, they should know how many chickens there are in each parish and in each coop,” he said.

He commended the DP members of the new parliament, noting that they have proven to be intelligent and honest people who represent the views of the party and their constituents.

When asked about the proposal to appoint Milorad Pupovac from the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Human and National Minority Rights, Penava reiterated the party’s position that co-operation with the SDSS is out of the question.

“A majority that includes the DP cannot have elements of the SDSS”

“We are not talking about members of the Serb ethnic minority, but about the SDSS, with which we have never and will never enter into a coalition, and we do not want even a hint of possible cooperation between the DP and the SDSS. A majority that includes the DP cannot include elements of the SDSS,” he said.

“The talks (on Pupovac) are still ahead of us… we will see what happens. We have communicated our positions, which were a precondition for further talks, very clearly and we will insist on them because anything else would drive the DP to a betrayal of its voters,” he added.

On the new acting head of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK), Sven Miskovic, Penava said he would be judged on his results, adding that the DP would insist above all on the prosecution of war crimes and the fight against corruption.

Penava also sent his best wishes to the members of the armed forces on their day of honour.