Is the Opposition Bringing Down the Government on the Budget?

According to unofficial sources, the SDP has gathered enough signatures for a vote of no confidence in the Government and will request its inclusion on the agenda today.

According to the parliamentary Rules of Procedure, after being included on the agenda, at least seven days and at most one month must pass before the discussion and voting take place. If this item is included on the agenda, the Government has eight days to respond during parliamentary sessions. In the next two months, the opposition will attempt to bring down the Government twice, but since they do not have enough votes, they plan to do so through the budget. The first option for the opposition is a proposal for a vote of no confidence. This will be submitted to the Parliament on Wednesday. The Speaker of the Parliament, upon receiving it, will include the proposal on the agenda without discussion. A discussion must be held within 30 days of submitting this proposal, explains SDP MP Nenad Stazić. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor, on the other hand, is convinced that she has a strong coalition and that elections will be held at the end of next year. If they fail to bring down the Government, a new request can only be submitted after six months. However, there is another option – the budget for 2011. HNS President Radimir Čačić explains that the situation here is reversed. The opposition does not need to gain a majority on the budget, but the Government does.

This is the crucial difference according to the new Constitution, emphasizes Čačić. Analysts agree – there is a greater likelihood that the Government will slip on the budget than on the vote of confidence. The new Constitution states that the Croatian Parliament adopts the state budget by a majority of all representatives’ votes. An absolute majority means 77 parliamentary votes. If the budget is not passed within 120 days after being presented to Parliament, the Prime Minister proposes to the President of the Republic the dissolution of Parliament, explains political analyst Davor Gjenero. For days, the opposition has been sending a message to the minorities – it is the last moment to realign. The decision on Jadranka Kosor’s remaining as Prime Minister could be made by Milorad Pupovac. Namely, among the minority representatives, the SDSS, which has three representatives, is the most interesting for the opposition in bringing down the Government through the budget. The Prime Minister does not doubt the loyalty of her coalition partners. They must certainly count on failure because the ruling coalition is strong, emphasizes Kosor. (www.hrt.hr)