Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament's Appointments and Administration Committee unanimously accepted on Wednesday the request by Aleksandra Jozić Ileković, Chair of the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, to be relieved of her duties at her own request.
The Committee has forwarded a draft decision to the full parliamentary session.
Jozić Ileković submitted her resignation on 11 April, citing issues in the Commission’s operations and claiming that certain members had undermined the body’s work through their actions.
Parliament will debate her resignation on Thursday. The decision will take effect on the day it is adopted, at which point Jozić Ileković will officially cease to be Chair of the Commission.
The Committee rejected a proposal from Rada Borić (We Can!) to dismiss the entire Commission and elect a new one from scratch.
Krunoslav Katičić (HDZ) argued that there was no legal basis to dismiss the remaining four members.
Committee Chair Pero Ćosić (HDZ) noted that no formal request for the dismissal of the other four members had been received.
He explained that once Jozić Ileković’s mandate ends, the remaining members of the Commission will have a set deadline to appoint an acting Chair from among themselves, who will serve until a new head is elected, for a maximum of six months.
From the moment the Chair's term ends, the Committee must, within 30 days, issue a public call for applications to select a new Chair of the Commission for the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest. The Committee will then interview the candidates who meet the required criteria.
A final shortlist will then be compiled, containing at least twice the number of candidates as there are positions available - in this case, a minimum of two.
The new head of the Commission will be appointed by secret ballot in Parliament.