ZAGREB, Dec 23 (Hina) - The government of Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader on Tuesday received a vote of confidence from 88 of the 152 members of parliament.
ZAGREB, Dec 23 (Hina) - The government of Croatian Prime Minister Ivo
Sanader on Tuesday received a vote of confidence from 88 of the 152
members of parliament.#L#
Twenty-nine deputies of the Social Democratic Party, the Istrian
Democratic Assembly and Libra voted against, while 14 MPs of the
Croatian Party of Rights, the Croatian People's Party/Alliance of
Primorje and Gorski Kotar, and the Liberal Party abstained.
The new government was supported by the Croatian Democratic Union, the
Croatian Peasant Party, the Croatian Social-Liberal Party/Democratic
Centre, the Pensioners' Party and national minorities.
After the prime minister and his 14 ministers were sworn in, Sanader
thanked MPs for the vote of confidence. He said he expected
parliamentary cooperation also with the parties which today did not
support his government.
He thanked former Prime Minister Ivica Racan and his government for
all they had done during their four-year term.
Addressing the MPs before the vote of confidence, Sanader promised his
government would serve rather than rule citizens.
The new prime minister said the priorities of his government included
tax cuts, economic growth, better employment, an increase in living
standards and membership in the EU and NATO.
He stressed that his government would focus on the economic policy.
The agreements signed with pensioners and national minorities are
possible to implement, although perhaps not in one year and not in one
term of office, he said.
Sanader said he was "proud of the agreement with the national
minorities" but added that bilingual names of cities and streets
were out of the question. "Rijeka will not be called Fiume. This is
neither in the agreement nor did (Italian minority MP) Furio Radin
request it."
He reiterated again that there would be no revenge-seeking on account
of the change of government.
However, he did announce a review of all government decisions adopted
after the November 23 elections.
"We will make an inventory of all decisions adopted after November 23,
and I will inform Ivica Racan about them," Sanader said, stating that
Croatia needed a law on the transfer of authority.
Jadranka Kosor and Andrija Hebrang became Deputy Prime Ministers and
took over the Ministry of Family, War Veterans' Affiars and
Inter-Generation Solidarity, and the Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare respectively.
Miomir Zuzul is Foreign Minister, Ivan Suker Finance Minister,
Berislav Roncevic Defence Minister and Marijan Mlinaric Interior
Minister.
Branko Vukelic is Minister of the Economy, Labour and
Entrepreneurship, Bozidar Kalmeta is Minister of the Sea, Tourism,
Transport and Development, and Petar Cobankovic Minister of
Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management.
The Minister of Environmental Protection, Zoning and Construction is
Marina Matulovic Dropulic, Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic is Minister of
European Integration, and Bozo Biskupic Minister of Culture.
Vesna Skare Ozbolt of the Democratic Centre is Justice Minister and
Dragan Primorac is a non-partisan Minister of Science, Education and
Sports.
(Hina) rml sb