HDZ party leader and caretaker Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Wednesday that during negotiations with the Domovinski pokret (DP) party, it was agreed that the DP will be responsible for three ministries, including demography, for which a ministry will be established.

The HDZ and the DP have agreed on a partnership in forming a new parliamentary majority and collecting signatures so that I can be appointed prime minister for the third time and lead the government for the third time, Plenkovic said after another round of negotiations held today at the Government House.

The new Ministry of Demography will be established on the basis of the current Central State Office for Demography, he said, adding that they have been saying for years that demography and demographic revitalisation are the key to the nation’s survival.

More ministries

“And that is why we are one of the first at the European Union level to introduce a Ministry of Demography,” Plenkovic said. The government has proposed to the parliament the adoption of a strategy for demographic revitalisation so that the basic laws and documents are in place, he added.

The second portfolio is the Ministry of Agriculture. The DP has shown a particular interest in this sector, as the party is mainly based in the Slavonia region. It has been agreed that the DP will propose a candidate for the head of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Furthermore, it was agreed that the currently huge Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development will be split in half and a DP candidate will take over half of the new Ministry of Economy.

Plenkovic said that names had not been discussed, but in principle it had been agreed that the minister responsible for demography should also be deputy prime minister in order to ensure cross-departmental coordination of these issues.

Plenkovic said that the new government would have more ministries than now.