ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan reminded on Thursday that actions that were in line with the state budget were an obligation of all and not only the government. He objected to coalition partners overstepping the
budget just to gain points in a pre-election campaign.
ZAGREB, June 13 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan reminded on
Thursday that actions that were in line with the state budget were
an obligation of all and not only the government. He objected to
coalition partners overstepping the budget just to gain points in a
pre-election campaign. #L#
The reasons for his statement to the press upon returning from an
official visit to the United States was a vote in parliament on the
Law on Islands. The vote once again highlighted vast differences
among the ruling coalition's partners.
The majority vote, which included MPs from the coalition's Croatian
Peasants' Party (HSS), the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) and
the Croatian National Party (HNS), rejected amendments to the Law
on Islands which was to introduce a toll on the Krk bridge to be paid
by legal entities based on the island. As a result, the SDP
believes, the budget would be overstepped by 2.72 million euros.
The result of the vote was the reason for a press conference at which
SDP bench leader Mate Arlovic stated that the SDP would ask for a new
coalition if there were any further attempts to overstep the
budget.
Racan rejected to comment on this statement but pointed to the
increasing overburdening of the budget with unplanned costs for the
purpose of gaining points in the public.
"For two years we strove to arrive to the point of spending
approximately as much as we are earning, and now, because the pre-
election campaign seems to have begun for some people, we should
annul those results and perhaps go back to the bottom of the pit,"
Racan said.
He stressed that the continuation of bargaining for new expenses
not envisaged in the budget would take the whole country to the edge
of the pit.
(hina) sp sb