Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic announced the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party’s candidates for the positions of Economy Minister and Deputy Prime Minister on Monday afternoon.

“After consultations, we decided to put forward Darko Horvat to the Parliament as the new Economy Minister, and the Agriculture Minister, Tomislav Tolusic, as the Deputy Prime Minister on all economy-related issues,” Plenkovic said on Monday after the HDZ leadership session.

These suggestions confirmed the media speculations on the possible candidates to succeed Martina Dalic, who handed in her resignation on May 14 over allegations of conflict of interest following the publication of her e-mail correspondence with consultants who had drafted the controversial Lex Agrokor bill in early 2017.

Darko Horvat served as Minister of Entrepreneurship and Crafts from January to October 2016 when the HDZ was led by Tomislav Karamarko.

The Prime Minister called both Tolusic and Horvat “excellent solutions.”

Horvat did not clarify who, in case he became the Economy Minister, would be in charge of matters relating to Agrokor – him or Tolusic, the Prime Minister’s candidate for Deputy Prime Minister.

“To be a member of the HDZ and Deputy Prime Minister of such a party, and at the same time be afraid to enter such a debate would not be fair. If we want to be in politics, then these are the new challenges,” Horvat said.

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