Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Monday that Ivan Anusic, whom he will propose to the parliament for confirmation as Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, would perform his duties very well and that he believed he would be confirmed on Thursday.

Addressing a news conference at which he announced his decision, Plenkovic said that Anusic had received consensual support by HDZ members and the parliamentary majority.

Recalling parts of Anusic’s biography, Plenkovic said that he currently serves as the head of Osijek-Baranja County and is one of the four vice-presidents of the ruling HDZ party, and that he was the mayor of Antunovac Municipality and a 1991-95 War volunteer.

“I believe Ivan Anusic will perform his duties as Defence Minister very well in the period until the end of the term of the incumbent, second government of ours. He readily accepted the offer and will prepare for a hearing before the competent parliamentary committee on Wednesday,” Plenkovic said.

Under the relevant procedure, Anusic should be heard by the Parliament’s Defence Committee, which Plenkovic said should happen on Wednesday, with a vote on the appointment expected to be taken at a plenary session of the parliament on Thursday.

Plenkovic underlined the importance of the defence sector, “particularly given the current global circumstances”.

“If everything goes as expected – and you can see that the process is very fast and effective – I expect the committee session on Wednesday and support at the plenary on Thursday,” Plenkovic said, adding that Anusic could be at work as a government member as early as Thursday afternoon.

Anusic’s post as Osijek-Baranja County head is expected to be taken over by Mato Lukic, one of his deputies.

Reporters asked the prime minister how he would cooperate with Anusic considering “the not so good episodes (in their relationship) in the past” (departure of Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Natasa Tramisak and views on the director of the HEP power company), to which Plenkovic said that he and Anusic were elected in intraparty elections as members of “the same team”.

That we sometimes have different views on certain issues does not mean that we are not on the same team and part of the inner circle of HDZ leaders, he said.

Anusic has ample political experience and “all the references to be Defence Minister”. “He will fit into the team and function normally as he has so far.”

Reporters also wanted to know if consultations between Anusic and President Zoran Milanovic, who is the Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, would be easier, given the context of bad relations between Milanovic and Mario Banozic, who was relieved of duty after causing a road accident over the weekend in which one person was killed.

“We’ll see what the consultations will be like,” Plenkovic said, adding that the biggest responsibility lay with Milanovic considering what he described as Milanovic’s “inappropriate and coarse” rhetoric.