Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on February 17 condemned the behaviour of a lawmaker from a key coalition partner who appeared in a video praising a World War Two-era pro-fascist leader, but said the incident would not threaten the stability of his government or its parliamentary majority.

The controversy centres on Josip Dabro, a member of parliament from the rightwing Homeland Movement (DP), who was filmed singing a song that glorifies Ante Pavelić, the leader of the Nazi-backed Ustaša regime that ruled the Independent State of Croatia during World War Two. The Homeland Movement is a key pillar of Plenković’s government and essential to maintaining its slim majority in parliament.

Speaking after a meeting of the leadership of his centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, Plenković said the government had already addressed the issue internally.

“In party bodies, we have addressed the situation regarding the Dabra MP and the singing of this completely inappropriate song,” Plenković told reporters, a government statement said.

“We condemn such behaviour by MP Dabro, which has no place for someone who holds such an important and public office,” he added.

Plenković said he had discussed the matter with DP leader Ivan Penava and with Dario Hrebak, head of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), another coalition partner. He said the issue would be raised at a coalition meeting and that Dabro would be asked to stop such conduct.

He rejected claims that the affair could destabilise the ruling bloc, calling such speculation “ridiculous”, but acknowledged the discomfort expressed by HSLS.

“We are no less dissatisfied with such a situation than they are,” Plenković said, adding that he believed a solution would be found through dialogue that would allow the parliamentary majority and the government to continue functioning smoothly.

Deputy Prime Minister and Construction Minister Branko Bačić said the ruling majority had unanimously condemned Dabro’s behaviour and expected him to apologise publicly.

“His musical expression was absolutely inappropriate, harmful and no one can support it. We all in the ruling majority condemned Dabro's singing like that,” Bačić said after a meeting of the parliamentary majority.

He said he expected Dabro to apologise for “this verse he sang” and added that the Homeland Movement would decide how to discipline him.

Bačić also sought to reassure investors and the public that the coalition remained secure.

“The ruling majority is stable and all 76 hands are certain,” he said, referring to the number of MPs backing the government.

Dabro is a former deputy prime minister, who resigned from his cabinet post last year after a separate controversy when he was filmed shooting a pistol from a moving car.