By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ZAGREB (Worthy News) – Elections in Croatia were expected to decide whether the Balkan nation will move closer to Russia or remain on its pro-Western course.
Wednesday’s ballot in Croatia, which belongs to both the European Union and NATO military alliance, pit the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic against a coalition of centrist and left-wing parties informally led by populist President Zoran Milanovic and his Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The country’s highest court said Milanovic’s abrupt decision to run for prime minister was “irreconcilable” with his constitutional role as head of state. However, he called the ruling a “coup” and decided to participate in the vote anyway.
A lot is at stake in the race for Croatia’s 151-seat parliament, not just in the country itself but for Europe as it grapples with the instability from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, analysts said.
If the HDZ stays in power, the country will maintain relative political stability and continue on the pro-Western course in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
A success for SDP could put it on track for victory in the European Parliament elections in June and the presidential election in December.
It would shake the HDZ’s long dominance of politics and potentially open space for stronger pro-Russian influence in the country, akin to Hungary and Slovakia.
MOSCOW WATCHING
Moscow is expected to closely monitor the ballot as it seeks to extend its influence in the region.
Milanovic has often voiced a pro-Russian stance during the war in Ukraine, opposing the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia as well as sending weapons to Ukraine because, in his view, it only prolongs the war.
That view is shared by populist governments in nearby nations, including fellow NATO and EU members Hungary and Slovakia, leading to tensions within the Western organizations.
Milanovic called Plenkovic an “ordinary coward” for allegedly preventing him from directly participating in the election.
“It will be game over for Plenkovic,” Milanovic said, calling on voters to turn out in great numbers “to get rid of Plenkovic and his cartel.”
Yet that may be wishful thinking, suggested opinion polls that predicted a comfortable HDZ victory but without enough seats to rule alone.
The HDZ has primarily held power since Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 in a bloody conflict.
NEWEST MEMBER
The Adriatic Sea nation became the newest member of the European Union in 2013 and joined Europe’s passport-free travel area and the eurozone last year.
Yet the left-wing opposition was due to benefit from public discontent with Croatia’s high inflation and the general economic troubles in most EU member states.
Smaller parties on the right and the left were expected to be critical to the HDZ and SDP in their quest for power.
Plenkovic, like Milanovic, a former career diplomat, accused his rival of being irresponsible and of “pushing Croatia and the Croatian people into the ‘Russian World.’”
Plenkovic said Milanovic should not hold any public office, describing him as a “political waste that brought only negativity.”
It was now up to voters to see who was right.
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