Politics

ZAGREB, 1 June, 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković told reporters on Monday evening that earlier in the day, when he was commenting on the elections, he was telling the truth and that amounted to no attack on the media because the media, he said, were not sacrosanct that couldn't be talked about. "I was just telling the truth," Plenković said when asked by reporters whether he had gone too far  when commenting on the elections and criticisng several commercial broadcasters. All those I talked about, including your broadcaster (RTL), used the wrong name of HDZ's candidate for Zagreb mayor in…

ZAGREB, 1 June, 2021 - Professor and political analyst Žarko Puhovski said on Monday that he was shocked by the statement signed by the Croatian Journalists' Union (SNH) and the Croatian Journalists' Association (HND), wondering if Plenković's attack on analyst Dražen Lalić was more significant than Milanović's on him. "Is it really possible that (Prime Minister) Plenković's scandalous attack on Lalić is so much more significant than (President) Zoran Milanović's much dirtier continuous attacks on me in the past months, and in the former case you reacted in the blink of an eye, while in the latter not at all?" asked Puhovski in an…

June the 1st, 2021 - Croatian PM Andrej Plenkovic has claimed that despite the clear Tomasevic and Mozemo! (We Can!) win in the City of Zagreb, making him the new mayor and marking a significant political shift, that Mozemo! have something against ''this Croatia''. As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, upon answering journalists' questions about the election results, PM Andrej Plenkovic (HDZ) said that he hadn't yet called Tomislav Tomasevic in person and congratulated him on his win and new title as the Mayor of Zagreb, but that he does intend to and will. When he was asked how it is that…

ZAGREB, 31 May 2021 - The man who started a smaller fire near an entrance to a museum where Zagreb mayor-elect Tomislav Tomašević's team gathered on Sunday evening was taken to a police station in Zagreb on Monday, the local police reported. The police did not reveal the identity of the suspect and only reported that an investigation was being conducted. As Zagreb's mayor-elect Tomašević was preparing to address his supporters and public at his campaign headquarters on Sunday evening, an older man arrived at the scene, hurling insults at those attending the event and starting a smaller fire, after which he left. The man…

ZAGREB, 31 May 2021 - President Zoran Milanović said on Monday, commenting on the results of yesterday's local elections, that the biggest change had occurred in Zagreb. "There is a change in Split, too, but a little different. The biggest change is in Zagreb. 65% of people voted for one group which is very liberal (...). Some of their ideas are experimental even for Copenhagen. That's a whole spectrum of green-left ideas which have found an audience and communicators in someone else, and once that was solely the SDP," he told the press. Asked about the Zagreb mayoral campaign of the Homeland Movement, the president…

ZAGREB, 31 May 2021 - Acting Zagreb Mayor Jelena Pavičić Vukičević said on Monday all the documents necessary for transferring authority to newly-elected Mayor Tomislav Tomašević were ready at the city administration and that the transfer could occur on Friday at the earliest. She congratulated Tomašević on his election and wished him and his team success in their work. We followed the campaign and saw the election programs, and we expect their prompt and good realization, she told the press. Pavičić Vukičević also congratulated the people of Zagreb on City Day, which is observed today. For more on politics in Croatia, follow…

May 31st, 2021 - The Croatian parliament starts its session on Tuesday this week because the Feast of Corpus Christi is observed on Thursday. It will discuss the proposal of 41 opposition MPs for a vote of no confidence in Health Minister Vili Beroš. The opposition says the reasons for that include the accumulated problems, the lack of an effective and transparent vaccination system, the avoidance of public procurement, corruption, and the theft of public money during the COVID pandemic to benefit close associates Minister Beroš. "The reasons for this move are clear to all citizens - the accumulated debts in…

May the 31st, 2021 - Zagreb has a new mayor and a major political shift has taken place in numerous places across the country which were former HDZ strongholds. With the results finally in after the second round, just what does brand new Zagreb mayor Tomasevic from Mozemo! (We Can!) promise to do for the capital's residents? As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the new Zagreb mayor Tomasevic said last night that he expects the official handover to take place at the end of the week and that the first meetings are expected as early as today. "I'm going to proudly lead…

May 31st, 2021 - Zagreb's new mayor Tomislav Tomašević said in his first address as mayor-elect on Sunday that residents of Zagreb had put trust in his ability to run the city, calling on them to participate in decision-making on the city's development. "Thank you, Zagreb! Thank you for your trust, hope, your belief that a true change is possible. Thank you for a clear mandate for a real change. Thank you for believing in me, in yourselves, and all of us," Tomašević said in the address at his campaign headquarters at the Museum of Contemporary Art. "We will do our best…

May 31st, 2021 - The new mayor of Split is Ivica Puljak of the Centre party, who by 10.30 p.m. won 35,565 votes, according to data released by the State Electoral Commission (DIP). Addressing the public in his campaign headquarters, Puljak told citizens that all of them had won, both those who had voted for him and those who hadn't and that he would do everything to justify their trust. He told them to stand by them as they had before and congratulated his opponent Vice Mihanović (HDZ), who had previously congratulated Puljak on his victory. Speaking about the campaign, he…