Croatian PM survives no-confidence motion in government over graft case

Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday survived a no-confidence motion in parliament against his pro-European Union government, the second this year, launched over a high-profile case of alleged corruption involving a former minister.

The motion was initiated by the opposition Social Democratic Party, citing the involvement of government ministers and officials of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union in a series of corruption cases in recent years.

On Friday, 76 out of 140 lawmakers present voted against the motion and 64 for.

The latest case involves the arrest and firing of Health Minister Vili Beros last month over a case of suspected graft, with European prosecutors accusing him of accepting a bribe.

During a parliamentary debate on the motion, Plenkovic said the government had supported the work of anti-graft agencies and of the State Attorney's Office in the case of Beros, who denies any wrongdoing.

This is the second no-confidence motion against government this year. In May, 79 deputies rejected the opposition motion in parliament vote.