Who will attempt to gather a parliamentary majority and form a government, which political option and under what conditions will support the biggest surprise of these parliamentary elections, the Bridge of Independent Lists, and from whose ranks the new mandate holder will come, and whether reforms in Croatia will finally be initiated with the Bridge, are just some of the questions that this morning’s show “In the Network of the First” hosted by Ivica Ružičić tried to answer. Guests on the show included Robert Podolnjak (Bridge), Arsen Bauk (SDP), Ivan Rimac (politologist), Miro Kovač (HDZ).
A list of demands crucial for supporting one of the coalitions to form a new government is being intensively worked on with deadlines necessary for the implementation of these reform measures, and I believe it will be completed in the next maximum 7-10 days, said Podolnjak. In general, you have demands related to the economic, monetary, and tax system, you have a part related to the reform of the judiciary, the reform of administration, and the reform of local and regional self-government, that is roughly the package of what the Bridge will seek in reforms, he added.
Commenting on yesterday’s statement by Drago Prgomet that a new government cannot be formed without the Bridge, and that they will propose the future mandate holder, who will be neither Tomislav Karamarko nor Zoran Milanović, Podolnjak said that statements leak every day from some media. I do not have that information, you will have to ask Mr. Prgomet. We have not heard from yesterday to today, so I do not have that last information, if it is even accurate, he stated.
As for positions in the future government, now is not the time to discuss functions of who will be what, who will be the Prime Minister, who will be the minister of this or that, now it is crucial that we sit at the table regarding our coalition with colleagues from the Bridge and discuss the possibility of merging our programs, said Miro Kovač from HDZ. We also have an economic program that is very high quality, we have a very good platform for negotiations and we are convinced that based on discussions about programs and a comprehensive package of reforms, we will find common ground and be able to have a mandate holder from our ranks and then form a stable Croatian government, he added.
When asked whether the SDP can enter negotiations on the premise that the mandate holder will not be Zoran Milanović if the Bridge decides to support the left coalition, Bauk stated that negotiations are entered with the premise that the coalition Croatia is Growing can count on support from about 60 representatives, and with 19 representatives from the Bridge, that amounts to about 80-85 representatives. That is a stable Croatian government that can implement these reforms for which we advocate, and which the Bridge also advocates, and which are supported by colleagues from HDZ who will then be a constructive opposition and that Croatia awaits a good period in the future, said Bauk.
At this moment, it is completely clear to all political actors that the only goal of the upcoming discussions between political options is not the nomination of names for either the Prime Minister or individual ministers but reaching an agreement on establishing a parliamentary majority, Rimac emphasized.
