- Croatia’s ruling conservatives will still require the backing of far-right organizations to maintain their hold on power.
- The election resulted in the culmination of Plenkovic and Milanovic’s long-running rivalry.
- With a clear disregard for the highest court, Milanovic declined and persisted in advocating for the left-wing alliance.
Despite winning a fiercely contested parliamentary election, Croatia’s ruling conservatives, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), will still require the backing of far-right organizations to maintain their hold on power.
The election took place as Croatia struggles with problems like the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, illegal immigration, corruption allegations, and the highest rate of inflation in the country.
Croatia
Should the HDZ maintain its hold on power, the nation would persist in its pro-Western trajectory, aiding Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. If the SDP does well, it might be able to win both the December presidential election and the June European Parliament election, which would allow for more pro-Russian influence in the nation.
Since Croatia separated from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, the HDZ has mainly governed the country. The election resulted in the culmination of Plenkovic and Milanovic’s long-running rivalry.
Milanovic started running for prime minister on behalf of the SDP after calling the election and announcing his unexpected bid. Stepping in, the judges of Croatia’s constitutional court declared the action to be unconstitutional. With a clear disregard for the highest court, Milanovic declined and persisted in advocating for the left-wing alliance.
Citing past and ongoing scandals, Milanovic has charged Plenkovic and the HDZ with widespread corruption and “massive theft” of public monies. Leading the government since 2016, Plenkovic has flatly refuted the allegations on several occasions, claiming that Milanovic’s appointment as prime minister would move the nation closer to Russia and away from the EU.
Throughout the conflict in Ukraine, he has frequently expressed support for Russia, opposing both the arming of Ukraine and the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia since, in his opinion, they will only make the conflict worse.
