Lawmaker demands no-confidence vote over Gospić pollution

Independent Croatian lawmaker Marija Selak Raspudić has sharply criticized the government's response to a significant pollution incident in Gospić, calling for the cabinet's downfall. She argues that the political responsibility for the contamination of the Ličko region with "forever chemicals" extends beyond the environment minister and demands a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

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This is not just one of a series of corrupt affairs we have, unfortunately, become accustomed to, this is the illuminating point when time must stop, and political heads must roll.

Selak Raspudić is urging President Zoran Milanović to exercise his constitutional authority to convene an extraordinary parliamentary session. Her proposal includes obligating the government to act swiftly on the pollution and simultaneously amending the Criminal Code to establish ecocide as the most serious offense against the environment. She has previously submitted a draft amendment to the Criminal Code, developed by legal experts from the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Law.

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If there is political will, we can enable those who committed this ecocide to receive the punishment they deserve tomorrow.

"If there is political will, we can enable those who committed this ecocide to receive the punishment they deserve tomorrow," Selak Raspudić stated, emphasizing the urgency. She believes that institutional responses must be far more decisive and rapid given the potential environmental consequences. The lawmaker stressed that this situation is not merely an isolated incident involving a few individuals but reflects a broader failure of the current government, led by Prime Minister Plenković.

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Through the Lika soil and water, all residents of Lika, but also the whole of Croatia, are endangered. And what is the current government doing in the meantime?

She also questioned the current administration's actions while the residents of Lika face threats to their soil and water. Selak Raspudić criticized the environment minister's remarks that the system lacks mechanisms for faster action, asserting that institutions should react with greater resolve. She called on all opposition parties to unite in demanding accountability.

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This is not just an individual married couple or some corrupt customs officer, this is not exclusively a state inspector, this is the entire government, led by the most responsible person in the country – Andrej Plenković.