Đurđević doesn't have majority support due to "populist political programme"

The prime minister on Monday dismissed the president's claim that non-working Sundays was an "electoral feint", and said Supreme Court presidential candidate Zlata Đurđević would not be backed by the ruling majority also due to her "populist political programme."

Speaking of non-working Sundays, PM Andrej Plenković said analyses were made and consultations with the partners held, adding that a survey showed that most people were in favour of non-working Sundays.

We want our citizens to have non-working Sundays, it's been debated for years. Based on a survey, a majority is for non-working Sundays, he told the press after a meeting of his HDZ party which, he added, discussed the COVID-19 situation, vaccination and a recent European summit.

We have a balanced proposal with 16 working Sundays a year due to tourism and public holidays, while families will be able to spend more time together. Other Western countries had doubts about this, they don't work on Sundays and there is no loss of profit for those who are now the most outspoken against it, Plenković said.

Đurđević has disqualified herself

He also commented on Đurđević's programme for Supreme Court president, saying it contained "two bewildering points."

In the first paragraph she says that the Supreme Court president must adhere to the constitution and the law. If that is the basic argument, then it's clear that it cannot be someone who was a candidate in an illegal procedure, Plenković said.

"The other phenomenon (is that) the whole programme is a populist political programme which would like to return the election of judges in Croatia to the time when politics elected judges. Had we had that policy when we were joining the EU, we would have joined in 50 years," he said, adding, "Besides disqualifying herself, we also differ in programmes."

President's mission in election campaign is to say salvos of insults

Plenković went on to say that President Zoran Milanović engaged in campaigning for next Sunday's local elections on the side of his former party (SDP) and that he could not recall a similar situation in Croatia.

Milanović's mission in the campaign is to say salvos of insults to the participants, many of whom keep silent, whereby he is fighting for a couple of SDP pockets. That is tolerated, but had someone from the HDZ done that, "we would have had a revolution," Plenković said, adding, "those who won't keep quiet are the only ones opposing that savagery, which isn't stopping."

He went on to say that he received a report from Albania, where "Milanović's friend (PM Edi) Rama," he said, was initiating a no-confidence vote in President Ilir Meta for interfering in elections and inciting to hate speech and violence.

Plenković also said there would be no change in the appointment of Croatian ambassadors and that he had not heard who Milanović's candidates were.

He said there had been no consultations with Milanović on a Croatian non-paper on Bosnia and Herzegovina either. "I haven't consulted with him, I don't know if the (foreign) minister has. The minister represents Croatia's policy. When (Milanović) replies to the ambassadorial candidates, then we'll discuss this."

Text: Hina

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