Croatian parliament to be dissolved on May 18
- by croatiaweek
- in News
ZAGREB, May 14 (Hina) – Prime Minister and HDZ president Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday that parliament would be dissolved on May 18 and that he had informed President Zoran Milanovic, who can call a parliamentary election for June 21 or 28 or July 5 or 12.
“After the cabinet meeting and the meeting of the parliamentary majority, I can inform the Croatian public that all components of the parliamentary majority have decided to propose to parliament to dissolve on Monday, May 18,” Plenkovic told the press after a meeting of the ruling coalition.
He said the reason for this decision was that over the past three years his cabinet had achieved all the key ambitions it had set itself.
Plenkovic said the government had shown in recent months how to cope with the coronavirus pandemic crisis with its measures to retain jobs and help the economy, and that given the economic challenges before Croatia in the future, the term of the next parliament and government should focus on the country’s economic recovery.
Plenkovic said the timing of the election was appropriate.
“The epidemiological situation in Croatia is such that we practically have less than ten (daily new) infections and, with all citizens behaving very responsibly, we will have the opportunity to organise the election within the constitutional deadline, which leaves the president of the republic the possibility to call it for June 21, June 28, July 5 or July 12.”
The prime minister said he had informed the president about everything and that it was now up to Milanovic to decide in line with the law.
Under his constitutional powers, the president calls a parliamentary election after parliament is dissolved. Under the law on the election of members of parliament, the election must be held within 30 days of parliament’s dissolution at the earliest or 60 at the latest.
Election day is a non-working day and the president also convenes the inaugural session of the new parliament.
