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Croatian PM urges both his deputies to resign

Xinhua, June 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Croatian Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic on Friday asked both his deputies, Tomislav Karamarko and Bozo Petrov, to resign for the interests of the country.

Speaking at a press conference, Oreskovic said the relation between Karamarko, the first vice prime minister and the president of the biggest party in the coalition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), and Petrov, vice prime minister, had become too big a burden on the government and the country.

"That's why I call on them to withdraw so that the government can continue working on reforms as we are already seeing results," Oreskovic said.

It was a battle for Croatia and he hope people will reach a decision that was in the best interest of Croatia, he said.

He did not plan to resign as some local media have recently speculated, he added.

He also said there won't be new elections, saying holding new elections would cost almost 2 billion euros, which wasn't in the interest of the country.

On Monday, Petrov, also a leader of a junior party Most which has 12 members in parliament, said his party would vote for Karamarko's withdrawal from government in a confidence vote over an alleged conflict of interest case.

Earlier this month, the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) filed a no-confidence motion against Karamarko, for an alleged conflict of interest posed by a business deal between his wife and a contractor for Hungary's oil company MOL, the biggest shareholder in Croatian energy company INA.

The State Commission for the Resolution of Conflicts of Interest is investigating the case and the parliament is due to hold a no-confidence vote over Karamarko before June 18. Enditem