Čović: I have never entered a betting shop, HDZ is not connected to the owners

"It's not my place to meddle in Croatia, I am disappointed with what has been happening in the last few months. I expected some things to fall into place," commented member of the BiH Presidency Dragan Čović on the current government crisis in the Republic of Croatia. 

"It's not my place to meddle in Croatia, I am disappointed with what has been happening in the last few months. I expected some things to fall into place. Orešković has already been sacrificed. He was brought in without political influence, strength, as an anonymous figure - outside the election cycle. He had a chance as long as he followed those who brought him in. Now it is clear that he must go, it is only a question of how. Whether at the next session of the Parliament, or whether it will drag on for a month or two - the outcome will also be tied to the departure of people from HDZ who did not expect it," stated Čović in Pressing on N1. 

Does that mean the SDP will be in power?

"The decision on new elections is getting closer, that would be the first time and catastrophic given all the problems. That means a lot of time, money. We expected a lot from Croatia and I would like them to reshuffle the government, but that is unlikely."

Dragan Čović denied Mladen Ivanić's allegations regarding trade on the SDA - HDZ line in the N1 program, which concerns securing a decision on publishing the census results, which Čović did, and Izetbegović reciprocated by removing the Law on Taxation of Betting Shops from the Parliament's agenda.

"It's best not to comment on that. Why would we trade over the census? Why would it suit me regarding betting shops? Why would someone tie a trivial law to betting shops?"

For years, it has been said that HDZ is connected to the owners of betting shops, and that they are a "vital financial interest of HDZ"?

"I can speak about the time since I have been party president, which is 11 years - from that sphere, no one has ever been in contact with us. That is a fabrication, which I have heard a lot. I am in favor of taxing them. They are now being taxed, it is just a question of how," he says, adding that this has always been his stance - and everything necessary should be done to protect BiH.

"My question was why would someone in the Parliament, on behalf of the parliamentary majority, make decisions - if that parliamentary majority has its own government. The government has 16 hands plus the prime minister. There are six HDZ hands there. The majority of hands are SDA, so 11:6. They can make any decision. There is no protection for anyone. A system that applies in all EU countries should be created, and all subsequent laws should be compared with the EU. We will soon become a candidate, we will have to change laws quickly - why aren't we changing them already today?" said Čović.

"Betting shops are part of business. As it is done in Austria, Germany - so it should be done here. Unconditionally, it should be that way."

Statistics show that people spend one billion and 300 million KM annually on betting.

"That is business, and in my opinion, it is a disease that we will have difficulty curing. It is harder to cure than alcoholism and narcotics. As a society, we are unprepared for it. There are people whose life begins in the morning at the betting shop and ends in the evening watching results or however it goes. I don't know, I have never entered a betting shop," explained Čović.