PM dismisses President's claims on violation of Constitution

After President Milanovic's TV address on Thursday evening in which he accused Prime Minister Plenkovic and the government of planning to put the Military Security and Intelligence Agency (VSOA) under the direct management of the Ministry of Defence thereby bypassing the Constitution, Plenkovic today counterclaimed that it was Milanovic who abused his position and  acted as the leader of the Opposition.

The latest political tug of war between the Croatian heads of state and government concerns the appointment of the new head of the Military Security and Intelligence Agency (VSOA) as the term of the outgoing head, Ivica Kinder, who tendered his resignation last year after it was established that some agents were implicated in financial wrongdoings, expires on 10 July.

Plenkovic noted today that the five months ago the new candidate for that position was proposed in accordance with the procedure.

"We have waited for the president to give his opinion on that candidate, and he has ignored that all the time," Plenkovic said.

Instead of his (the president's) apologies we listened to false theses on the violation of the Constitution and on the partisan control over the VSOA, Plenkovic said referring to the president's live television address on Thursday evening.

Plenkovic also pointed out that it was very unusual that Milanovic used a televised address for this purpose, and added that Milanovic obviously wanted to avoid having a news conference at which reporters would come to ask him questions.

I wondered whether a war broke out, or some pandemic, or whether a strong earthquake, flooding or other natural disaster befell Croatia while we in the government were not aware of that, Plenkovic said in his ironic comment to Milanovic's televised address.

In his address Mianovic said that "there can be no candidate for the VSOA director until the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister reach an agreement on the issue. All officers who have or will have an ambition to do that job must be aware of that."

Plenkovic also referred to Milanovic's warning that he would take all measures within the competence of the Commander in Chief towards military personnel who would agree to be nominated by the government for high positions.

Plenkovic called this warning "unacceptable and inappropriate".

On Thursday morning Milanovic called on Prime Minister Plenkovic "to discuss and agree on a candidate for the VSOA director as prescribed by the Constitution and the law, and in accordance with the usual practice for all past appointments of heads of security and intelligence agencies."

PM Plenkovic said later in the day that there would be no meeting between him and Milanovic as long as he did not apologise for insulting language in his political discourse.