SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Croatia's parliament on Friday approved a government dominated by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's conservative, pro-European HDZ party, giving him a third term following parliamentary elections last month.
The long-ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which led the NATO member state of 3.8 million people into joining the EU's Schengen free travel area and the euro zone last year, has formed a coalition with the far-right Fatherland Movement (DF). is. The Fatherland Movement will have three ministers in an 18-member government.
“We want a successful, vibrant, just, sustainable and sovereign Croatia,” Plenković told MPs presenting the government's platform. Of the 141 members present, 79 supported the government, 61 opposed, and one abstained.
The anti-immigration DF campaigned on a platform of defending traditional family values and not allowing minority Serb parties to participate in future coalition governments, making it clear that the new cabinet would be more There are growing concerns that it will move further to the right.
However, under a coalition agreement between the two parties, HDZ will retain its interior and culture ministers, which means policies in key areas regarding immigration and minority rights will remain unchanged, analysts say. .
“It's clear that Prime Minister Plenković will find a way to continue to lead a centrist policy centered on the EU,” political analyst Davor Genero said. “I don't think there will be any major changes in public policy. Croatia is stable as a country that advocates further Europeanization.”
DF, which won 14 seats, emerged as kingmaker after a vote in which HDZ won 61 seats in the 151-member parliament. This was significantly more than the 42 seats won by the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its allies, but it fell short. 76 seats needed to secure a parliamentary majority.
Minor parties that were HDZ allies previously supported the government, with the exception of the Serbian minority party SDSS, which argued that DF should be excluded from future governments.
DF, who is joining government for the first time, will lead the newly created Ministry of Demography, Agriculture, and part of the Ministry of Economy, which had been split into two ministries. HDZ retained ministers from the previous government and brought in only one new face.
Andrius Tursa, advisor for Central and Eastern Europe at advisory firm Teneo, said: “Although there may be a slight shift to the right in some areas, the government remains one with continuity, both in terms of composition and policy priorities.'' It's very similar to.” .
“In foreign policy, the HDZ-led government will maintain a strong pro-Western and pro-Ukrainian stance,” Tursa said, adding that the biggest challenge for the new government will be fighting corruption, which has a negative impact on the business environment. He added that it would be.
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucicč; Editing by Rod Nickel)
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