ZAGREB, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Croatian Parliament confirmed on Friday seven new ministers proposed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
The new ministers were appointed by 78 lawmakers in the 151-seat parliament, two more than the minimum number needed for the majority.
Liberal Democrats, who were so far in the opposition and never before in a coalition with the ruling conservatives, suddenly decided to join the government. In return, they got two ministers in the new government, minister of construction and minister of education and science.
This marks the end of the political crisis in the country. The Croatian prime minister had sacked three cabinet ministers from his junior coalition partner, the center-right Most (Bridge) Party. They were dismissed after they refused to vote in support of finance minister ahead of a non-confidence vote initiated by the opposition Social Democratic Party.
The opposition with liberals among them asked for his resignation due to the potential conflict of interest and a lack of credibility in his handling of a financial crisis at Croatia's biggest private firm, Agrokor. The Most eventually left the government and the leading conservative party was in search for a new partner.
"I think we have ended this episode in the best interest of the stability and the citizens", Prime Minister Plenkovic said after the parliament confirmed new ministers.
