The president of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zoran Milanovic, on Monday commented on the proposed changes in the government, saying that people who were hired by and included in the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) personally by ex-prime minister Ivo Sanader were now entering the government.
"This is a government of Sanader's men, now possibly even more then before, which is headed by Sanader's associate and friend," Milanovic told reporters in the SDP headquarters.
"Nothing has changed, absolutely nothing," he said.
Milanovic reiterated that the government reshuffle ten months before elections was not a common practice in Western democracies.
The Croatian Social Democrats (HSD) said that Jadranka Kosor's proposal for a government reshuffle was incomplete and insufficient, notably in light of the government's zero tolerance to corruption policy.
The president of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), Radimir Cacic, also commented on the announced government changes, saying that the reshuffle was at least one year late.
Cacic said that the outgoing ministers, notably Culture Minister Bozo Biskupic and Defence Minister Branko Vukelic, were deeply connected with ex-PM Sanader.
He said that even if they had adequate references, resumes, strength and abilities, the incoming ministers would not be able to do anything because the budget which continued to increase public spending was already adopted.
The HDZ has no solution, this is yet another attempt to create an opinion in public that something is being done, Cacic said.
