June 7 (SeeNews) - Croatia's prime minister Tihomir Oreskovic said he is not afraid to ask for the parliament's confidence for the second time this year, after first deputy PM and leader of the ruling HDZ party, Tomislav Karamarko, said his party will file a no-confidence motion against the PM on Tuesday.
Oreskovic told journalists in Zagreb that he respects HDZ, but that Karamarko is a huge burden for the government and for his party.
"I am confident that HDZ will make the right decision by the end of the day," the PM said, adding that he already holds the parliament's confidence and isn't afraid to seek it again.
In a press conference aired on HRT, Karamarko said that there are plenty of reasons behind the decision to file a motion for Oreskovic's dismissal, including the evident dysfunction of the current government.
"If the prime minister wants his deputies, who put him in power, to step down, something is wrong," Karamarko noted.
He explained that HDZ, as the largest parliamentary party and the backbone of the government, believes the current bickering and poor relations must come to an abrupt end.
"The government must be uniform and firm if we want to achieve the goals we set for ourselves," Karamarko explained.
He added that this will come as a positive shock that will help the government snap out of its current crisis and called on all MPs to put the country above private and partisan interests.
The HDZ-led Patriotic Coalition has 59 members in Croatia's 151-seat parliament. Its partner in the coalition government, MOST, has 19 MPs, while the largest opposition formation, the Croatia is Growing alliance, led by social democrats SDP, has 56 seats.
HDZ's motion for Oreskovic's replacement comes as a response to the PM's appeal last week to his two deputies - Karamarko and Bozo Petrov of MOST - to step down over their political row which has become a burden for the country.
Tension between the ruling parties increased last month when all MOST ministers voted in support of a motion by SDP for a no-confidence vote against Karamarko over alleged corporate interests involving business ties between his wife and a lobbyist involved in the privatisation of oil and gas firm INA.
Karamarko also called for a cabinet reshuffle, saying that reforms can only be implemented with fresh faces, not including current coalition partner MOST. He reiterated that snap elections are a waste of time.
SDP on Tuesday responded to Karamarko's press conference in several posts on Twitter. The party said that the only reasonable option is to dissolve parliament as soon as possible and call early election in July.
Recent polls have suggested that SDP's popularity is on the rise, with the current ruling parties coming under additional pressure.
Several analysts have commented that Croatia is likely to face elections, with Erste stating on Monday that the probability of a snap vote is clearly on the rise, but suggesting that a reshuffle of the government would be more rational for coalition parties HDZ and MOST.