Božo Petrov announced which six ministries MOST is seeking in negotiations with the Patriotic Coalition

The president of the MOST independent lists, Božo Petrov, revealed on Monday what his party is seeking in negotiations with the HDZ’s Patriotic Coalition.

Božo Petrov confirmed on Monday that his party is seeking leadership positions in the ministries of internal affairs, justice, administration, economy, agriculture, and environmental protection in negotiations with the HDZ’s Patriotic Coalition.

– These are ministries for which we have experts and we know exactly what needs to be done in them for things to function better in Croatia. We will continue to insist on this, Petrov stated after a three-hour session of the National Council of MOST, held in preparation for the afternoon continuation of negotiations with HDZ.

When asked what if HDZ insists on some of those ministries, he replied: – We will talk, I think we have a week of negotiations ahead of us, but I believe we can reach an agreement.

He did not want to disclose the names of the people who would lead individual ministries. However, he confirmed that names are being discussed and that the people who will lead the departments will be agreed upon with the Patriotic Coalition and the mandate holder. Petrov reported that the National Council discussed some of the key points that MOST wants to implement in various departments today.

– What we discussed today are some of the key points we want to implement within the departments we want to lead because we know exactly what should be implemented in them. We will not give up on them, we will insist on them in negotiations. Today we have a meeting with the Patriotic Coalition, they will propose a new model of government that they advocate, we will see what it is about. I hope it will be a constructive discussion, and then we can have another meeting and decide whether to go in that direction or make certain changes or perhaps postpone, but at this moment I do not want to prejudge, as we are not familiar with the proposal.

Petrov did not want to comment on HDZ’s announcements that it would propose a reduction in the number of ministries because, he emphasizes, he has not yet seen a complete proposal, and he responds similarly to the question about the possible merging of state-owned companies into a single holding. Petrov emphasizes that the Patriotic Coalition will have to justify any proposals to appoint individuals from the management of Agrokor and Privredna banka Zagreb to head the ministries of finance and economy, as speculated by the media.

In response to HDZ’s announcements that it will seek the merging and abolishment of some state agencies, Petrov said that MOST has been in favor of a more rational public and local administration from the beginning, but such mergers should be based on detailed analysis.

– We are in favor of reducing the number, merging, or abolishing certain agencies, but based on an analysis that needs to be conducted. It should be noted that very quality analyses of reductions and budget resolutions were already published six months ago, and it remains unclear why they were not utilized. There are already good guidelines on what and how should be done, only political will is needed, and that is why we started this, he said.

When asked whether, in the event that they cannot reach an agreement, new elections would be held, Petrov said that the possibility of elections always exists.

– The possibility of new elections is always open if the two sides agree. However, I would like to believe that we have not wasted all this time in vain, I hope that there will be goodwill on both sides and the possibility to reach an agreement, Petrov said, the media reported.