Žužul (Zuzul) Stays for A While

Miomir Žužul (Miomir Zuzul), embattled Croatian foreign minister, finally got first received first batch of good news after terrible few weeks. It seems, that despite intense media speculations, he still enjoys tiny support in Sabor.

Although far right HSP joined three major centre-left opposition parties – SDP, HSS and HNS – in their request for Žužul's removal, the number of MSes that should vote against him is still below the necessary majority.

The key of Žužul's survival is in some parties and some MSes that nominally belong to opposition, but whose representatives expressed misgivings about the move that could lead to political crisis and new elections.

IDS, Istrian regionalist party that usually sticks with SDP, has announced that they vote abstain during the vote. After the last convention, LS has split on left-wing and right-wing faction. Left-winger and former party chairman Banac is the for the removal, his main rival from the right-wing Zlatko Kramarić (Zlatko Kramaric) is going to abstain. Two SDSS representatives are also going to abstain, just like Italian minority representative Furio Radin and pensioners' party HSU.

Žužul enjoys support of HDZ and its right-wing allies HSLS and DC, together with three ethnic minority representatives and independent MS Ivo Lončar (Ivo Loncar).

At this stage, this means 77 votes for Žužul, 68 against and 11 abstained.

LS abstention can be explained with right-wing shift in that particular party. Ethnic minorities and pensioners are using their votes as a tool to press Sanader for more concessions. IDS, on the other hand, want to keep Žužul in order to preserve Sanader and his pro-European policies and thus prevent HDZ from regressing back to hard-line nationalism of Tudjman's years.