Milanović accuses Plenković of wanting to reduce the constitutional powers of the president

(Patria) - Croatian President Zoran Milanović fiercely criticized Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, stating that with amendments to the Defense Act, he wants to limit and reduce the constitutional powers of the president as supreme commander and thereby violate the Constitution.

In a statement, Milanović accused Plenković of the announced amendments to the Defense Act - which will more clearly define the relations between the president, the minister of defense, and the government.

- And before he tries to embark on another attack on the Croatian Constitution, I warn Andrej Plenković of the fact written in the Constitution, in Article 100, which clearly and unequivocally states: "The President of the Republic is the supreme commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia". No less, no more than that. The Constitution does not distinguish between a supreme commander in peacetime and a supreme commander in wartime - Milanović stated.

He also stated that Plenković is once again aiming to go beyond the framework of the constitutional order. Milanović also believes that the possible amendments to the Act may have been prompted by disagreements regarding the deployment of soldiers to the NSATU mission.

- Whether Plenković wants to impose his autocracy on the Croatian Army by amending the Defense Act or wants to prepare the ground for sending the Croatian Army to Ukraine, he must be clear: as long as I am the President of the Republic, I will be the supreme commander of the Croatian Armed Forces, and the Croatian soldier will not fight other people's wars.

I call on Plenković to respect the Croatian Constitution and to respect the will of the Croatian people who gave me their trust precisely because I am protecting the Croatian Army from Plenković's and others' wars - Milanović concluded.