The Croatian parliament on Friday approved a government headed by pro-European Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is taking office for a third term. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.
Details
It is noted that the ruling HDZ party, the Croatian Democratic Union, has formed a coalition with the far-right Fatherland movement (DF). Of the 141 deputies present, 79 voted for the government, 61 voted against, and one abstained.
Batkivshchyna will have three ministers in the 18-member government.
The anti-immigrant DF party campaigned on the issue of protecting traditional family values and opposing allowing the Serbian minority to join the future coalition.
According to the coalition agreement between the two parties, HDZ will retain its ministers of the interior and culture. According to analysts, this means that the policy on migration and minority rights will not change.
The DF, which entered the government for the first time, will head the Ministry of Agriculture, the new Ministry of Demography, and part of the Ministry of Economy, which was split into two departments.
HDZ retained the ministers from the previous government, bringing in only one new face. Thus, Croatia will have a Ukraine-friendly government at least until the presidential elections due in late 2024, while the president remains pro-Russian.
Recall
Last October, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in demining.