Suprise in Zagreb
Photograph of Croatian Prime-Minister Andrej Plenkovic at a victory celebration in Zagreb Photo courtesy of Agence France-Presse.
On 5 July, Croatian voters handed a surprise victory to the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
Pundits had predicted that the liberal opposition parties would gain enough seats to form a new government. However, the HDZ and its parliamentary allies will likely be able to re-form their legislative majority.
Andrej Plenkovic will likely serve another term as Prime-Minister, despite attempts by the opposition to unseat him.
Despite, the government’s 66 seat majority, compared to the main opposition bloc’s, ‘Restart Croatia’, 41 seats, the election has come under criticism for its low turnout rate, approximately 45 per cent.
According to Deutsche Welle, the low turnout was especially prevalent amongst young voters and youth groups, due to a general sense of apathy for political change in the European Union’s newest member.
The election’s results come to a relief to the governing bloc’s leaders, after a disappointing presidential result in January after the HDZ-backed incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović lost to the Social Democratic challenger Zoran Milanović, partly due to allegations of graft.
The Croatian government has been pursuing further integration into the European Union, and officials have pushed for the adoption of the Euro in the country.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also been criticised for recording a message supporting the HDZ, which is a member of the centre-right European People’s Party, of which Ms von der Leyen is a leading figure.
Some consider the European Commission President openly intervening in a national poll to be inappropriate.
The move was strange for the European Commission, which does not usually take such an open role in national politics. A Commission spokesperson released a statement expressing ‘regret’ over the move, saying that Ms von der Leyen had released the message in a ‘personal capacity, according to Politico.
The election also took place amidst rising COVID-19 infection rates and economic difficulty in the country, both of which may temporarily hamper the government’s goals of further economic hegemony with their European partners.
Some HDZ leaders have stated that the new victory may allow the group to move closer to the political centre, thereby expanding the list of possible political partners, as reported by Bloomberg.
Whether Croatia’s parties are able to come together to enact effective change in the country is still unclear. However, it is clear that many Croatians have become disillusioned with their country’s political system and leaders.
Sources:
Arbutina, Zoran. ‘Croatia: Election reveals young voters' apathy toward politics’. DW News, Deutsche Welle, 04 July 2020,
https://www.dw.com/en/croatia-election-reveals-young-voters-apathy-toward-politics/a-54049848
Anderson, Emma. ‘Commission expresses regret over von der Leyen’s video for Croatian party’. Politico, Capitol News Company, 06 July 2020,
Kuzmanovic, Jasmina. ‘Surprise Election Win to Keep Croatian Ruling Party in Power’. Bloomberg News, Bloomberg L.P., 05 July 2020,