The parliamentary Credentials and Privileges Commission (MIP) on Wednesday unanimously concluded that all legal conditions had been met to reactivate Ivo Sanader's mandate as an MP and that he could return to parliament on Friday, when the term of Zeljana Podrug, who has been replacing him, expires.
The MIP chairman Damir Sesvecan of the ruling HDZ party said Sanader requested the reactivation of his mandate on October 14, within the deadline envisaged by law, recalling that he had suspended it for personal reasons on 9 September 2009.
Ivan Drmic of the regional HDSSB party refuted yesterday's claim by Arsen Bauk of the opposition SDP party that the HDZ did not want to discuss the reactivation of Sanader's mandate as it was waiting for Drmic's help to challenge Sanader's right to sit in parliament.
Sesvecan said he was surprised "by the coincidence that Sanader is coming back on the same day that the SDP has submitted a motion to give the government a vote of no confidence," adding this proved that the SDP was counting on Sanader's vote in parliament.
The MIP also unanimously accepted Mladen Barisic's motion for the activation and immediate suspension of his MP's mandate, which had been suspended because he is a state secretary at the Finance Ministry.
