Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) president Jadranka Kosor said on Friday the government had no reason to raise the prices of gas and electricity, and that the ruling coalition's promises that Croatians would live better had come to nothing.
"We protest against the government's decision to raise the prices of gas and electricity, because there was no reason for such a drastic attack on Croatian citizens, notably the poorest ones," Kosor told reporters commenting on today's price hikes - 22 for gas and 20 per cent for electricity.
She said the hikes would lead to a wave of price rises in agriculture, the petrochemical and food industries, and that many would not survive this blow.
Kosor said the government could have intervened but that it did not because it wanted to show that it was filling up the budget.
"Of course the budgetary revenues are coming in, from the higher VAT and fuel prices, because the government is mercilessly targeting entrepreneurs, but the question is for how long," she said.
Commenting on amendments to the Public Assembly Act, which limit the number of protesters allowed to rally in front of the government and parliament to 1,500, Kosor wondered about the remaining 4.5 million Croatian citizens, saying the number of demands for protest would be enormous.
Commenting on the replacement of Sanja Kalambura as head of the Environmental Protection Fund, Kosor criticised the government for not fighting corruption.
"This government must say a resolute yes to the fight against corruption, but we haven't heard a word about it," she said, adding that what was going on "is endangering" Croatia's accession to the European Union on July 1, 2013.
Asked about the government's decision to publish a list of tax debtors, Kosor said the existing laws did not make that possible.
