President Milanović’s Inauguration Set for 18 February at the Office of the President of the Republic
“First of all, I would like to thank you once again – because I have not addressed the public since election night – to those who gave me their support, and reiterate that I stand behind every sentence I said back then. Now we must move forward, work, and cooperate as much as possible,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović today, revealing that his inauguration will take place on the 18th of February at the Office of the President of the Republic on Pantovčak.
“As for the inauguration, it will be like the last time and the time before that – on the 18th of February in Zagreb. After some thought and deliberation, I decided that it would once again be held at the Office of the President on Pantovčak. I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, unlike five years ago when I was certain, but frankly, I couldn’t even convince myself of the validity of changing my decision – if I didn’t go to St. Mark’s Square five years ago, what would I do there now? Continue the campaign?” said President Milanović.
“Many people have been calling me, expressing the wish for the inauguration to be held in a public space. However, I made the decision five years ago, and I’m simply committed to it. I believe the reasons for it are the same as they were five years ago. It is a civil, formal ceremony where we celebrate… a democratically elected President of the modern Croatian republic. Perhaps there will be slightly more people. I will invite some friends and certain family members, who were not invited to the first inauguration. Apart from my mother and niece, no one else attended,” said President Milanović, explaining his decision, but also confirming that he will send an invitation to the Government.
“The Prime Minister responded as he did, and that is his right. As for extending congratulations, I have to repeat for the umpteenth time: it is not important, and I did not extend congratulations either. I do not believe that this is a decisive moment in democracy. I consider it to have been concluded with the announcement of the election results. Whoever wants to congratulate is free to do so,” said the President, adding: “I thank the Archbishop of Zagreb for the kind letter, but that is his decision and his style.”
President Milanović stated that he had sent Prime Minister Plenković a request for a meeting of the Defense Council, but had not received an official response. Instead, the Prime Minister informed him through the media that he would send the documents he wanted to discuss. “I have not received the documents, so I will wait. The Council has not met for three years. There are documents that, by law, the President is required to approve, and it is normal for them to be prepared collaboratively, not simply sent to me for consent. These elections are over, and I can say that they were a kind of plebiscite on the issues that stood out during the campaign. One of these issues was the role of the President as Commander in Chief – not just on weekends or every seventh Friday of the month, but every day, twenty-four hours a day. Not the Government, not the Minister, but the President. This should always be kept in mind when considering so-called powers. I see this as my duty and obligation. The Constitution obliges me to certain responsibilities; these are not granted by the Government or HDZ. This has also been confirmed by the citizens,” said President Milanović, adding that the Prime Minister had not officially responded to his invitation.
“The country cannot function without the work of such bodies; they provide a format and framework in which soldiers – or more specifically, the Chief of the General Staff – can openly and constructively express themselves, even about problematic issues. Not the Parliament, not parliamentary committees – that’s not the place. Those are political arenas, and you won’t see soldiers there. No one has locked them up; the Commander in Chief will not allow them to go there. But at the Defense Council and the National Security Council, the Chief of the General Staff can certainly, without the presence of cameras, speak candidly about what is wrong, without personally offending or stepping on anyone,” he added.
President Milanović also commented on the fact that Croatia still does not have agreed-upon ambassadors in several countries, noting that he had previously not appointed party-affiliated candidates for diplomatic missions, but rather individuals with experience and university professors. “Be careful with the lists – the Decision from 2012, which my Government adopted in agreement with then-President Josipović, is still in force. In agreement, because you can’t do anything without an agreement with the President, as the countersignature is mutual. Neither side can force the other to do anything. At that time, a very reasonable and high-quality document was adopted to outline how to reach a solution,” said the President.
“I am not giving any lists to Mr. Plenković, nor should Mr. Radman bring lists to me. He should come, sit down with my Head of Office, and then we can see. Let’s see what we will do with the main centres of diplomatic representation – what is most important to the Government? Because we are co-creators of foreign policy; we jointly shape and implement it according to the Croatian Constitution. An agreement needs to be reached. I do not have any party-affiliated candidates. I am not selling off mandates and positions. There are people outside of diplomacy who are capable of doing this job, but the emphasis is on people from within the service,” underscored President Milanović.
The President also commented on the case of former Minister Josip Dabro. “I saw the same thing you did,” he said, adding that the Minister ‘paid the price’ for what he did. “Weapons should not be kept in the house, but if they are, then one should know how to use them and store them properly. He made a mistake,” said President Milanović.
When asked about calls to boycott stores, President Milanović said that we haven’t seen such a surge in prices in years. “Retailers don’t care because they will sell the goods anyway, and it will be difficult to rein them in. The problem exists, and as for how much the Government can solve it… I won’t comment on that now,” said President Milanović.