Croatia Coalition Threatened by Row Over Education pay

Amid an ongoing crisis in the ruling coalition in Croatia, with the junior coalition partner, the Croatian People's Party, HNS, threatening the senior Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, that it will vote against the draft budget for 2020, speculation grows about about the coalition collapsing.

HNS leader Ivan Vrdoljak said on Tuesday that ministers from his party, Construction Minister Predrag Stromar and Education Minister Blazenka Divjak, would not attend the government meeting on Thursday if the draft budget - which is expected to be on the agenda - did not include extra allocations for educational sector employees.

"We will definitely not sit at the government meeting, and will vote against the draft budget," Vrdoljak said. "We are either a part of the government, or we are not any more."

HDZ members have said that while all open issues can be discussed, they will not agree to blackmail - which some media also interpret as a sign of a possible break-up in the HDZ and HNS coalition. The HDZ has stated on several occasions that it is ready for new elections.

Speaking about the work of his government in the third year of its term on October 16, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said his cabinet was ready for an election, so that "citizens can decide to whom they want to entrust the future of Croatia and their children".

However, political analyst Zarko Puhovski told BIRN that he doubted snap elections will happen, and that the chances of the HNS remaining in the coalition were still 50-50.

"Elections will not occur. The HNS has a 50-50 [chance] of leaving the coalition, and, if it comes out, the government will stay," Puhovski said, noting that the HDZ would still have a parliamentary majority.

The crisis in the coalition...