Parliament not to meet during summer recess to discuss opposition no-confidence motions

Zagreb - The Croatian Parliament's Committee on the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System decided on Friday that conditions had not been met to convene an extraordinary session of Parliament following opposition motions for a vote of no confidence in government ministers.

The Committee had been asked by Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković to say whether an extraordinary session could be convened in this case. Jandroković cited a constitutional provision saying that during Parliament's recess sessions can be called only by the head of state or government or by a majority of MPs.

This decision means that during Parliament's summer break it will not be possible to take a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Milan Kujundžić, as demanded by the Bridge party.

The Committee's deputy chair, Peđa Grbin of the Social Democratic Party, said that he would turn to the Constitutional Court. "You are ignoring the article of the Constitution that says that a debate on a no-confidence motion must be held within 30 days of submission of such motion, and I emphasise the word 'must'.

There is no mention that this does not refer to Parliament's recesses," he told the Committee's chair, Željko Reiner of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

Reiner responded by saying that under the Constitution only a majority of all MPs, or 76, could call a session of Parliament to discuss a no-confidence motion, and not a fifth of lawmakers as in this case.