President Milanović: Government Is Absolutely Unconstitutionally Interfering in Election of Supreme Court President

13. May 2021.
16:40

During his stay in Zabok where he attended a presentation of “re-GENERATOR“, a project for the renovation and conversion of the old ZIVT factory’s industrial premises into a centre of urban culture, the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović commented, among others, the Government’s move, whereby it interpreted the programme of Zlata Đurđević, a candidate for president of the Supreme Court, in a press release. President Milanović affirms that the “Government is interfering in the election of the president of the Supreme Court in an absolutely unconstitutional way”.

“This is the umpteenth time that Plenković and his clique are violating the Constitution. They issue a press release on the Government’s website, yet where is the Government mentioned as a stakeholder and factor in the election of the Supreme Court president? HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union), fine. But the Government? That’s the mind of a man who grew up on communist and socialist postulates, graduated on that topic and in general is a product of such a milieu. If I were the Prime Minister, I would never dream of involving the Government”, President Milanović stated.

In his opinion, they want to discredit Zlata Đurđević at any cost. “They want to obstruct her at any cost, discourage her, destroy her will, say that she’s violating the law, associate her with, according to the HDZ, some controversial laws, which is also a lie. They want to depict her as incompetent, illiterate, dangerous even. This is an attempt at defaming her based on her thinking and critical mind. There are people who think, read, analize, make comparative analyses, say how things function in Europe and here, where things aren’t working well, why things aren’t well and perhaps how they could be changed. Therefore, she’s an independent person, she’s demonstrated this several times. That’s an inconvenience”, the President of the Republic said, and repeated that “the Government in interfering in a process where it has no place to be”.

In replying to reporters’ questions, President Milanović also commented the procurement of fighter aircraft. “I wonder what’s going on with the procurement of fighter aircraft? Six months have passed since the commission made recommendations. Plenković and Šeks need six months’ time to make a decision between most likely two options. Where is that decision made? I have kept silent for a few months. In February, some members of Parliament, not from the SDP (Social Democratic Party), said that the decision should be made and that they have their support. Still nothing. Why not? Local elections? What kind of responsibility is that? Where did Mr. Plenković learn that?”, the President of the Republic wondered, and added that “the same story is being repeated in Croatian hospitals, plagued by scandals, a shame, drug procurement, wholesale pharmacies,…”.

Asked if he is inclined to convene a session of the Defense Council, Milanović said that “he’s not opposed to that”.

“As Prime Minister, in his situation I would feel ill at ease to make such a decision only with a few buddies in the HDZ or perhaps ask someone in Brussels, which is ten times worse. If he doesn’t want to share this responsibility, I’ll take a defensive position although I’m Commander in Chief and one day I’ll be the one responsible for the use and efficiency of this equipment on whose procurement he decides. They’re exclusively creating new problems, and aren’t able to solve old ones”, President Milanović concluded.