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Zlatar Violic ninth minister to leave Milanovic cabinet

Author: rmli
ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - With the departure of Culture Minister Andrea Zlatar Violic, Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic's government that stepped into office slightly less than three and a half years ago, has been left without its ninth member and second one from the ranks of the Croatian People's Party (HNS).

PM Milanovic, who is the president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Wednesday received a letter from Zlatar Violic informing him of her resignation and the minister's resignation becomes effective today, sources in the government confirmed to Hina.

Consultations about Zlatar Violic's replacement or resignation started after the state audit for 2013 showed that cash had been withdrawn from the Culture Ministry accounts without receipts to justify such operations and that the money was subsequently paid back in installments.

Lately the media have been mentioning Deputy Culture Minister Berislav Sipus and Assistant Minister Tamara Perisic as Zlatar Violic's possible replacements.

Since 23 December 2011, when the parliament voted confidence in the Zoran Milanovic government, nine or almost every other of the 20 ministers have left their posts, including six from the SDP, two from the HNS, and one from the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS).

The first one to leave his new position was Transport Minister Zlatko Komadina, who resigned in April 2012, citing health problems.

In June that same year Environmental Protection Minister Mirela Holy stepped down, saying in her letter of resignation to the prime minister that she was leaving because she had caused political harm to the government with her injudicious e-mail message to the CEO of the HZ Holding company. Milanovic said at the time that he regretted the decision, but that his government had set high standards which it intended to uphold.

In mid-November 2012 First Deputy PM and Economy Minister Radimir Cacic of the HNS stepped down after a Hungarian court sentenced him to 22 months in prison for causing a traffic accident with two fatalities in Hungary in 2010.

Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic resigned in March 2013 after a scandal involving land conversion, saying that he was leaving due to unfounded accusations and a major lynching campaign against him, which prevented him from performing his duties in a professional manner.

Former Finance Minister Slavko Linic was the sixth minister to leave the government but the first one to be replaced by the prime minister.

Speculations about Linic's replacement started after media published reports about a pre-bankruptcy settlement procedure in the case of the Vinkovci-based company Spacva. Tensions between Milanovic and Linic surfaced in early 2014, in a case involving Linic's assistant Branko Segon, and culminated with the resignation of Tax Administration head Nada Cavlovic Smiljanec.

Nine months after Linic had to step down, after which he was expelled from the SDP, the anti-fraud office USKOK said that no indictable actions had been found in Linic's conduct nor had the said pre-bankruptcy settlement case caused damage to the state budget.

In June 2014, PM Milanovic said that Health Minister Rajko Ostojic and Science, Education and Sport Minister Zeljko Jovanovic would be replaced by Sinisa Varga and Vedran Mornar.

Speaking at an extraordinary news conference, Milanovic said that there were no concrete or personal reasons for the replacements.

"After two and a half years, this job simply wears a person out, one is always exposed to criticism, even hate, and needs to rest, but not by doing nothing but rather by working to strengthen the party's parliamentary group. We are a team that has functioned for years and those people have worked as part of a team for years," he said.

Neven Mimica was relieved of duties as Deputy Prime Minister in order to take up office as a European Commissioner.

Three ministers who left the incumbent government have also left their parties. One is Linic, who was expelled from the SDP, Mirela Holy left the SDP, and Cacic was expelled from the HNS. In the meantime, Holy and Cacic established new political parties.

(Hina) rml

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