Political scientist Davor Gjenero believes the PM has consolidated the ruling majority, but there is one partner he would gladly get rid of. A meeting of parliamentary majority party leaders has been called for 11 AM.
The hazardous waste case in Lika, which caused an environmental disaster in Gospić, has escalated into a serious political crisis that has shaken the stability of the ruling coalition. Following fierce criticism from the opposition and President Zoran Milanović, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković has called an urgent meeting of parliamentary majority party leaders for Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at 11 AM.
In an interview with Dnevno.hr, political scientist Davor Gjenero assessed that the PM's move is entirely logical given the situation. "It is quite clear that this situation has led to a certain instability within the parliamentary majority. It is entirely logical that in such a situation, an urgent meeting of the parliamentary majority is convened," said Gjenero.
President Milanović had fiercely criticized the government the day before, on August 10, over the environmental disaster in Gospić. At the same time, opposition parties Most, SDP, and Drito demanded an urgent convening of an extraordinary session of Parliament to discuss the hazardous waste case in Lika.
Gjenero believes there is a certain level of cooperation between Pantovčak and opposition actors. "The job of the opposition is to attack the ruling parties more fiercely, and it is also evident that there is some kind of agreement between the President of the Republic and important actors within the opposition," the political scientist stated.
Commenting on the broader political context, Gjenero also analyzed the internal dynamics of the ruling coalition. In his assessment, PM Plenković has managed to significantly strengthen the parliamentary majority, but one partner continues to be a source of instability.
"It seems to me that PM Plenković has significantly consolidated the ruling majority and that there is only one single actor that PM Plenković would gladly get rid of from the coalition. We all know who that is, and we all know that those actors do not belong to some right-liberal conservative coalition. We are talking about the Homeland Movement," Gjenero said.
The political scientist also recalled earlier turbulence within the majority. "However, the PM is now again in a situation where he has to defend the majority, even though it seemed that he had finished that job in the spring, after the excess with the resolution on Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina," concluded Gjenero for Dnevno.hr.
