Croatian President Zoran Milanovic (L) and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic
ZAGREB, July 17 (NNN-Xinhua) — Croatian President Zoran Milanovic approved here incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic another mandate to form a new government, after Plenkovic presented him with signatures of 76 newly-elected parliament members who supported him as the next prime minister.
In the parliamentary elections held on July 5, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) led by Plenkovic won 66 out of the total 151 seats in the new parliament. Plenkovic also had the support from eight representatives of ethnic minorities as well as from the Croatian People’s Party deputy and the Reformists’ deputy.
“The election results are clear and I wish the Prime Minister all the best,” President Milanovic said on Thursday at a joint press conference after an agreement with Plenkovic that the constituent session of the Croatian Parliament will be on July 22.
Plenkovic informed Milanovic that he intends to reduce the number of ministries from 20 to 16, and that the future government should have four deputy prime ministers. “A government with fewer members is easier to manage,” Plenkovic said.
One of the priorities of the new government and the Croatian Parliament will be the adoption of a law on the reconstruction of Zagreb, the capital city, after it was severely damaged by a magnitude-5.4 earthquake in March.
Plenkovic also announced that the new government will pay great attention to preserving public health and the health of citizens. — NNN-XINHUA
