Croatia’s Deputy Prime Minister Josip Dabro resigned on Saturday after video emerged of him firing a gun from a moving car.
Dębrow was also Minister of Agriculture in the cabinet of conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
What do we know about the video?
The video, which appears to have been taken at night, shows Dubrow laughing while firing a handgun through an open window.
In his resignation statement, the former minister urged the government to continue its work.
“I recognize that these circumstances create additional burdens for the government and my party,” Dabrow wrote. “My personal position should not distract the government and the ministry from their priorities or delay necessary reforms.”
In her initial reaction to the video on Friday night, Dabrow said it was filmed several years ago and that she had fired training bullets.
Plenkovic’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) formed a coalition with Dąbro’s nationalist Homeland Movement (DP) in May 2024.
DP leader Ivan Penava insisted that the coalition remains “stable” after Dabrow’s video surfaced.
He said the video “was private and was sent to those [Dabro] “I thought they were his friends.”
“At no time did he put anyone’s life in danger,” Penava said.
Meanwhile, Croatia’s government described Dabro’s behavior as “inappropriate and irresponsible”.
HDZ government faces election defeat and scandals
Dabro is the second minister to leave Plenkovic’s cabinet in recent months.
In November, Croatia’s Prime Minister fired former Health Minister Vili Beros after he was detained over corruption allegations.
Last week, the HDZ suffered defeat in the second round of Croatia’s presidential election, with President Zoran Milanovic, of the center-left opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), securing another term with nearly 74% of the vote.
SDI/SMS (AFP, dpa)
