Croatian PM accepts defense minister's resignation

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic accepted on Friday the resignation of his deputy and Defense Minister Damir Krsticevic, who said he was stepping down on Thursday after the fatal crash of a military aircraft.

Plenkovic said that he did not consider the minister responsible for the accident, but he accepted his resignation out of respect.

This was the second fatal accident for the Croatian Air Force this year. On Jan. 27, a Kiowa OH-58D military helicopter with two crew members on board crashed into the Adriatic Sea between Zablace and Zlarin in the Sibenik archipelago, killing both pilots.

Plenkovic said he will not propose a new defense minister because the current government is near the end of its four-year mandate. Instead, one of the state secretaries will be given the authority to run the Defense Ministry.

Krsticevic has served as deputy prime minister and defense minister of Croatia since 2016.

The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has been planning for parliamentary elections this summer. The HDZ is leading the latest polls with 28 percent support, with the Social Democrats second with 23.2 percent.