Croatia votes in a new government, a Serb Vice President

Croatia votes in a new government, a Serb Vice President

Boris Milosevic, from the Independent Democratic Serbian Party (SDSS), which represents the country’s Serbian minority, is a Deputy Prime Minister, covering social affairs and human and minority rights.

After a full day of debate, 76 deputies voted for Plenkovic's second government, while 59 deputies were against. The Parliament has a total of 151 deputies, and 135 of them joined the vote.

Along with 66 HDZ MPs, all eight MPs of national minorities voted for the 15th Croatian government, including three Serbs from the Independent Democratic Serbian Party and one each from the Reformists and the Croatian People's Party.

Prime Minister presented the program and composition of the government in the Parliament, emphasizing the health safety of citizens, raising the average salary from the current 880 to 1.000 euros, higher pensions, tax reduction and opening 100.000 jobs as priorities.

Plenkovic said that due to the great world crisis caused by the coronavirus, an economic decline of about 10 percent is expected this year, but that they estimate that next year there will be a growth of about six percent. According to him, the priority will be to make full use of the funds received from the EU assistance fund in the amount of 22 billion euros as an additional strong lever for economic recovery.

He stressed the importance of co-operation with MPs from national minorities.

"They were and will be our partners, because we want to build an inclusive and tolerant society that shares both national and universal values," Plenkovic pointed out.

The future government has 16 instead of the previous 20 ministries. Most of the ministries will be headed by the same ministers - Gordan Grlic Radman remains at the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Davor Bozinovic - the Ministry of the Interior, Zdravko Maric - Finance Ministry, Tomo Medved - Ministry of Defense, Vili Beros - Ministry of Health and Marija Vuckovic - Ministry of Agriculture. The Ministry of Transport will continue to be headed by Oleg Butkovic, and Nina Obuljen Korzinek will remain in charge of the Ministry of Culture and Media.

In some departments, there was a change of place or merger, so the former Minister of Labor and Pension System, Josip Aladrovic, got the department of family and social policy. The current Minister of Environmental Protection and Energy, Tomislav Coric, now heads the Department of Economy and Sustainable Development, and the Minister of Economy, Darko Horvat, heads the Department of Construction, Physical Planning and State Assets Ministry.

Science and Education go to Radovan Fuchs who was Minister of Science, Education and Sports in the previous government, while the defense portfolio goes to Mario Banozic, Minister of State Assets in the previous government.

Among the new names are Nikolina Brnjac, who will head the Tourism and Sports Ministry, and Natasa Tramisak, who will be at the helm of the Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry.

Ivan Malenica, who was not present at Thursday’s session because he has been diagnosed with coronavirus, remains Minister of Public Administration, but his ministry will now also be in charge of justice.

The new government has four vice presidents - along with Medved, Bozinovic and Maric, the new vice president is the representative of the Independent Democratic Serbian Party, 46-year-old Boris Milosevic.