June 8 (SeeNews) - Croatia's deputy prime minister and leader of the minor coalition partner, MOST, said on Wednesday that his party opts for early elections over a government reshuffle.
"We call on all persons in government to show political responsibility," Bozo Petrov said in a press conference aired on HRT, adding that MOST will not back HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko's attempt to "bring down the government".
Earlier on Wednesday, a group of 42 MPs of the ruling HDZ-led Patriotic Coalition filed in parliament a document listing six grounds for the dismissal of technocratic prime minister Tihomir Oreskovic. The move came after Karamarko said that his party will file a no-confidence motion against the prime minister over the government's apparent dysfunction.
Petrov, however, declined to say if MOST will back the opposition's request to dissolve parliament and call early elections.
The parliamentary groups of the opposition led by the Social Democrats (SDP) requested earlier on Wednesday that the parliament be dissolved and an early election called as soon as possible.
Croatia's political crisis escalated last month when MOST's ministers voted in support of a motion launched by SDP for a no-confidence vote against Karamarko over alleged corporate interests related to business ties between his wife and a lobbyist involved in the privatisation of oil and gas firm INA.
HDZ has rejected talk of an early vote, stating that there is still time to muster a new majority. The Patriotic Coalition has 59 members in Croatia's 151-seat parliament. Its current partner in the coalition government, MOST, has 19 MPs, while the largest opposition formation, the Croatia is Growing alliance, led by SDP, has 56 seats.