WorthyNews: Pro-West Party Beats Pro-Russia Politicians in Croatia Vote But Uncertainty Remains

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By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

ZAGREB (Worthy News) – The pro-Western ruling conservative HDZ party won most seats in Croatia’s parliamentary elections but faced tough talks to secure a majority in parliament and form a governing coalition, results released Thursday showed.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) had 60 seats in the 151-member assembly, down from 66 in 2020.

A center-left opposition led by the Social Democrats (SDP) won 42, a development welcomed by Western leaders concerned about its leader’s pro-Russia views at a time of ongoing war in Ukraine.

Yet analysts cautioned that the pro-Russia voices gained more support than previously and could still influence Croatia’s political direction when Moscow increased its influence in the Balkans.

The outcome came after a stormy campaign in the Adriatic Seafaring Balkan nation between HDZ Prime Minister Plenković and President Zoran Milanović, who acted as an unofficial representative of the opposition despite being told not to do so by Croatia’s highest court.

On Thursday, Plenković said the new government should be formed by the election winner in this heavily Catholic country, meaning the HDZ. In his speech, he also attacked rival Milanović’s “flagrant violation of the Constitution,” referring to the court ruling.

“There is a big difference between us and other political parties, especially those that tonight again articulated a kind of hate speech against the HDZ … I invite all those parties that have won the trust of Croatian citizens and do not show this kind of a priori exclusivity, like those who we defeated by almost 20 points,” Plenković added.

ACCUSING RIVAL

Plenković – who has served as premier since 2016 – also accused his rival of engaging in hate speech and called him a “coward” for not resigning.

The prime minister stressed his role in guiding the country of 3.8 million people into the eurozone and Europe’s passport-free Schengen area last year.

But with an average monthly wage of 1,240 euros ($1,345), the country remains one of the European Union’s poorest member states, analysts said. That frustration added to Milanović’s sudden surge in popularity despite being a mainstay of Croatian politics for decades.

He also became a media spectacle through provocative remarks, such as denouncing as fascist the Ukrainian wartime chant Slava Ukraini, or “Glory to Ukraine,” and rejecting the EU’s influence on Croatian politics.

Milanović accused the prime minister of being remotely controlled by Brussels and dancing to the tunes of the Western political beats. While his SDP party is short of an outright majority, friends and foes agreed that it scored well enough — in second place — to have a consequential voice in creating debates over Zagreb’s political direction.

With neither of the main parties securing an outright majority of 76 seats in the 151-strong parliament, they will have to enter coalitions with either smaller right-wing or left-wing entities that passed the threshold to enter parliament.

With HDZ still the winner, the West hopes it will be able to continue Croatia’s pro-Ukraine path and not follow the directions of nearby Slovakia and Hungary, where populist leaders have called for an end to military support of Ukraine.

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