ZAGREB, July 19 (Xinhua) -- The Croatian Parliament supported the cabinet reshuffle at a special session on Friday and approved seven new ministers together with two new deputy prime ministers.
Newly appointed ministers include Gordan Grlic Radman, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Ivan Malenica, Minister of Administration, Marija Banozic, Minister of State Assets, Marija Vuckovic, Minister of Agriculture, Marko Pavic, Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Josip Aladrovic, Minister of Labour and Pension System and Vesna Bedekovic, Minister for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy.
The Parliament also accepted the appointment of Davor Bozinovic, Minister of the Interior and Zdravko Maric, Minister of Finance for the new deputy prime ministers of the Croatian Government
The majority of the parliament, 82 members, supported the new ministers. The opposition didn't participate in voting. The opposition leader Davor Bernardic claimed that a new election would be the fairest outcome.
"I call everyone who is not corrupted to leave the parliament and do not participate in the criminal doing," Bernardic said, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said that he would never allow his government to "stick to labels that are related to corruption".
Plenkovic decided on Wednesday to broaden the government reconstruction after several ministers' were confronted with scandalous allegations.
The Minister of State Assets and the Minister of Administration, resigned within one week earlier this month under media pressure. Local media had reported murky business related to their property deals in which they gained personal wealth.
In March, the Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Gabrijela Zalac, hit a 10-year-old girl while driving without a valid driving license. She offered resignation then but the Prime Minister rejected it.
The Conflict of Interest Commission was investigating the Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolusic and the allegations that his house was built by a company that collaborated with the County while he was serving as county prefect. The opposition was also calling for the resignation of the Minister of Demographics, Family, Youth and Social Policy over a tragedy that happened on the island Pag when a man threw his four underage children from the balcony.
The new ministers took the oath immediately after the vote on Friday. The cabinet reshuffle in Croatia takes place in the third year of the mandate, a year before the parliamentary elections.
