Early elections in Croatia
Croatia is to elect a new parliament on July 5 instead of in October, as originally planned. The conservative government justified the change of plans pointing to the uncertainty of the epidemiological situation in autumn. The opposition has complained that the government is simply trying to capitalise quickly on its current approval ratings after the election of a left-liberal president indicated that the mood could be turning against it. Which topics are in focus in the campaign?
No one wants to be the bearer of bad news
Reading through the election programmes of the two largest parties in Croatia you might think there was no sign of a recession, Novi list comments:
“If Croatian society were a bit more mature, measures to ease the corona crisis would be a big topic in the campaign. The parties' programmes would not consist of wage and pension hikes, but focus on how wages and pensions can be maintained at their current levels. ... And of course they would include sensible measures for recovering from the problems we will face this autumn. But our politicians don't dare to do this. And they are right, it seems. Voters always punish the bearers of bad news even if it is accurate and brings salvation.”
More discussion about Europe, please!
The future of Croatia will also be decided at the EU level, Večernji list stresses:
“To what extent will European issues be present in this brief but dynamic election campaign? Judging by the first signals, in particular the questions of how much money Croatia gets from the EU, whether it will be enough, how much the country is exposed to the migration crisis, and how much influence it has in the EU will be important. ... The European dimension of Croatian politics is important because our membership in the EU and the decision regarding what kind of EU this is influences the everyday life of our citizens, their standard of living and their rights. ... This is why any discussion about Europe is welcome, especially during election campaigns.”