October 19 (SeeNews) - Croatia's prime minister-designate Andrej Plenkovic, said that he has put together a high-quality and professional cabinet and expects his nominees to receive a vote of confidence from parliament on Wednesday.
In an address to the media late on Tuesday, the leader of conservative HDZ party said: "First of all, we have colleagues who have been active for a long time either in their professional careers, or in politics. Part of our team is in their mid-40s - they are in their prime and represent a blend of energy and experience. Others are in their 30s - they have a bright future both in politics and in HDZ", Plenkovic said.
He added that the new government will have four women. "We must ensure that gender equality is concretely implemented", Plenkovic said.
According to local media the new government will consist of four deputy prime ministers and 20 ministers.
Plenkovic will become prime minister, while his four deputies will be economist and finance official Martina Dalic, who will also head the economy ministry; former Croatian member of the European Parliament Davor Ivo Stier, who will run the foreign ministry; Army Major General Damir Krsticevic, to be appointed defence minister; and former Omis mayor Ivan Kovacic, who will head the public administration ministry.
Zdravko Maric, who was appointed as finance minister by former PM Tihomir Oreskovic, will remain in his post.
Earlier this month, HDZ reached an agreement with centre-right MOST to form a coalition government. HDZ won 61 of the 151 seats in parliament in last month's early elections. MOST won 13 seats. Plenkovic will also rely on support for the coalition in parliament from deputies representing ethnic minorities and some smaller parties.
MOST leader Bozo Petrov was appointed parliament speaker for a two-year term. The two parties agreed on a rotating system, whereby the post will be held by two people appointed for a 2-year period each.