ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told Croatian Radio on Monday he had been ready to give up the law giving the government the power to regulate certain issues from the parliament's jurisdiction with decree laws, and
dismissed claims the government was using decree laws in an attempt to assume a more important role than the parliament. I was willing to give up the law, Racan said revealing the reason why the beginning of the parliamentary session last Friday was almost an hour late. He answered in the negative when asked if the premier was the most powerful man in Croatia today. He is not, I hope Croatia will no longer have the most powerful man, Racan said. Commenting on the decree laws, which most of the public have interpreted as the government's attempt to assume a more important role than the parliament, Racan said his government used the institute of decree law restrictively, exclusively du
ZAGREB, Oct 1 (Hina) - Prime Minister Ivica Racan told Croatian
Radio on Monday he had been ready to give up the law giving the
government the power to regulate certain issues from the
parliament's jurisdiction with decree laws, and dismissed claims
the government was using decree laws in an attempt to assume a more
important role than the parliament.
I was willing to give up the law, Racan said revealing the reason why
the beginning of the parliamentary session last Friday was almost
an hour late.
He answered in the negative when asked if the premier was the most
powerful man in Croatia today. He is not, I hope Croatia will no
longer have the most powerful man, Racan said.
Commenting on the decree laws, which most of the public have
interpreted as the government's attempt to assume a more important
role than the parliament, Racan said his government used the
institute of decree law restrictively, exclusively during summer
and winter parliamentary recesses. He said the previous HDZ-led
governments had adopted 388 decrees in eight years, while his
government ten in two years.
The prime minister stressed neither he nor the government had been
involved in any party trading regarding the appointment of the new
justice minister and the replacement of Assistant Justice Minister
Josip Begovic, or the reinstatement of HSLS's Hrvoje Zoric as head
of the correctional centre Lipovica.
Begovic was replaced by former Justice Minister Stjepan Ivanisevic
because he was dissatisfied with his performance in general, Racan
said. No trading could have taken place because Zoric's suspension
was only discontinued and he was not reinstated as head of the
correctional centre, Racan said, adding investigative proceedings
currently conducted against Zoric had to be completed first.
Prior to the start of the parliamentary session last Friday, there
were reports the session was late due to party negotiations, with
the HSLS making its support for the new justice minister
conditional on Zoric's reinstatement as head of the Lipovica
prison.
Both Ivanisevic and new Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic-
Marinovic denied those allegations.
(hina) sb rml