Opposition Submits Motion for Recall of Dalić; Bauk: Only HNS is Firmly Against

Opposition representatives on Tuesday afternoon submitted a proposal for the recall of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Martina Dalić due to Agrokor and the ‘advisors’ affair, signed by 37 representatives from six opposition clubs and independent representatives.

After submitting the request to the President of the Croatian Parliament, the political secretary of Most, Nikola Grmoja, assessed that the opposition’s tactics were successful, as in the case of the ‘night action’ and the amendments they brought to the Rules of Procedure.

“In this case, we have shown that we are not a futile opposition, that some HDZ representatives will have this argument against Andrej Plenković at tonight’s Presidency, and it will be interesting to follow the development of the situation. It has just become complicated,” Grmoja assessed. This is evident, he said, from Plenković’s reaction when he told the opposition that he would like to see the arrogance of not supporting the Istanbul Convention. The nervousness of the Prime Minister is visible, and it is clear that he does not control the ruling majority as he would like, Grmoja believes.

>>>Petrov: The Government is Impotent for Reforms, Now is the Right Time for Dalić’s Recall

“I don’t know if the ruling party will vote for our proposal, but some will certainly say tonight at the HDZ Presidency that they have this weapon in their hands,” Grmoja believes.

According to him, the importance of the initiative lies in the fact that a good part of the public wants Dalić to leave, considering her responsible for the affair in Agrokor regarding advisory fees. “No one can convince me that Dalić did not know from which company Ramljak came, and it is clear that this is her responsibility,” Grmoja emphasizes.

“We will see how the HDZ partners and some representatives will position themselves because some of them comment in the corridors with us that Dalić should leave,” he added.

>>>Dalić’s Recall United the Opposition Left and Right

“Ramljak’s departure cannot absolve Dalić. He left, his company earned millions, and I do not see what damage he suffered. Someone needs to bear political responsibility, and it was Dalić who chose Ramljak,” Grmoja pointed out.

‘Optimistic Variant’

The President of the SDP Club of Representatives, Arsen Bauk, assessed that the “most optimistic variant would be for the Prime Minister to instruct the secretary to write a decision on dismissal, the second for her to resign herself, and the third for him to dismiss her.” He called on all representatives to support the opposition proposal.

“The clubs whose representatives signed and independent representatives make up between 67 and 70 representatives, which means that another nine representatives from the ruling majority and three representatives from the Independent Club for Croatia who did not sign, but announced that they would vote for the recall, so we are close. We will see who will support our request on behalf of the HDZ Club,” Bauk said.

“As for the votes of the SDSS, it is a rather complicated, complex, and mathematically intricate calculation in which I do not know all the unknowns, so we need to wait for colleague Pupovac to clarify his position a bit more,” he added.

>>>Plenković: Dalić Continues to Do Her Job, No Government Reshuffle

When asked if he expects the ruling party to put this discussion on the agenda immediately on the first day of the next session after the current morning, Bauk replied that when there was a discussion about the recall of the Government, it was also in the afternoon and was followed.

“It depends on the President of the Parliament, he decides when to put it on the agenda, and he will do so when there is no doubt whether all 78 representatives of the ruling majority will vote differently than ‘against’. If he is not sure, he will put it on the last day, as for Minister Marić. If he is sure that everyone will vote ‘against’, and not ‘abstain’ or otherwise, then he will put it on the first day of the procedural deadline,” Bauk believes.

“There are HDZ representatives who would, in an oral declaration, without cameras, say that our proposal is fine, but they will probably respect party discipline in the Parliament or leave the party. I would dare to say that only HNS is firmly ‘against’,” he said.

Bačić is Absolutely Not Afraid

The President of the HDZ Club of Representatives, Branko Bačić, told reporters in the Parliament on Tuesday that the proposal for the recall of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Martina Dalić “is not at the level necessary to demand her resignation” and that the ruling majority will be united on this issue.

Bačić is “absolutely not afraid” that representatives of the ruling majority could condition their vote for Martina Dalić with voting for the Istanbul Convention.

“Every representative has their integrity, both regarding the Istanbul Convention and for every other law. We will conduct a discussion in the Club, and before that in the party Presidency, and accordingly, we will behave as a Club of Representatives,” Bačić announced.