(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, NOV 16 - Croatian lawmakers on Thursday approved a new defence minister nearly a week after his predecessor was fired following a car crash that killed another driver. Ivan Anusic of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party (HDZ) received 77 votes from the 151-seat parliament, paving his way to overseeing the defence ministry. On Saturday, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic sacked Anusic's predecessor Mario Banozic just hours after he crashed a private car and suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to doctors. The crash happened after Banozic was leaving the town of Vinkovci -- around 280 kilometres (174 miles) east of the capital Zagreb -- and overtook a truck that was driving in front of him, according to the police. If convicted, Banozic faces up to eight years in prison. (ANSA-AFP).