ZAGREB, 4 May, 2021 - About 10% of the total of 555 towns and municipalities in Croatia already know who their mayors will be over the next four years because they are sole candidates running in the 16 May local elections.

The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) can already claim victory in four towns and 44 municipalities, as shown by the data on mayoral nominations available on the Electoral Commission's website.

This was also noted by the HDZ leader, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, on Monday. "At this point the HDZ has already won in 48 local government units, which speaks of the strength of the HDZ candidates and the strength of the party," he said.

The ruling party has thus already secured mayoral posts in four towns - Pakrac, Skradin, Nin and Hrvatska Kostajnica. The majority of municipalities where the HDZ candidates are running unopposed are located in eastern Osijek-Baranja County.

In addition to the HDZ, some other parties have also already notched victories.

The Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) has sole candidates in two municipalities, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian People's Party (HNS) each have one such candidate and candidates of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) will face no opposition in three municipalities.

In the southern municipality of Muć, the present long-serving mayor, who is running as an independent, is also the sole candidate.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

February 2, 2021 – In an admirably understated manner, Pozega-Slavonia hunters humbly pitched in to the relief efforts and sent two tons of game to those in the earthquake-affected area of Sisak-Moslavina

It's fair to say that in this day and age, hunters often get a bad rep. There are far more people in the world today who abstain from eating any meat – vegetarians and vegans – than those who go hunting. Changing times. For sure, it wasn't always this way.

In Croatia, hunting associations play a vital role in maintaining the beauty and accessibility of the country's rural landscape. Not that you much hear about this aspect of their undertakings. Perhaps they are typically just rather understated people?

You might easily come to that conclusion when considering the recent humanitarian action undertaken by Pozega-Slavonia hunters. Organised by the county hunting association and county officials, Pozega-Slavonia hunters from each of the region's district societies contributed in an effort to send the game taken by each – mostly deer and wild boar - to the earthquake-hit areas in Sisak-Moslavina County. They so far managed to send a whole two tons!

At the same time, Pozega-Slavonia hunters from the county association began collecting funds for the families of those tragically killed in the 29 December earthquake. They have so far collected some 50,000 kunas that will be directed to the intended recipients through the Croatian Hunting Association.

“This is a small help, but undertaken with an open heart,” said a representative from the County, who jointly organised the effort.

“We go to visit friends,” he said, in reference to the delivery of the Pozega-Slavonia hunters game, “and a Slavonian does not go empty-handed. We have loaded more than a ton of meat here (in this shipment), but there will be more because in co-operation with Croatian Forestry, Brod-Posavina County and the Radinje hunting ground, today we will take (in total) about three to four tons of game.”

“(Perhaps) the people of Moslavina will remember Slavonia next time they eat Slavonian čobanac (a local specialty stew, made from game) because she (Slavonia) is always thinking of her (Moslavina),” he concluded.

“Lovački savez Požeško – slavonske županije (Hunting alliance of Pozega Slavonia County) was the main organiser,” Mateja Tomasevic, Head of the County office told TCN. “Within it, there are 28 separate societies of Pozega-Slavonia hunters. They all participated in the humanitarian action.”

Among the 28 contributing societies were Hunting Associations 'Fazan' and 'Košuta' from Pakrac, 'Psunj' from Orljavac, 'Šljuka' from Brestovac, 'Jelen', 'Šijak', 'Sokolovac' and 'Sveti Hubert' from Požega, 'Dilj' from Buk, 'Vidra' from Sapna, Čaglin, 'Slavonac' from Kutjevo, 'Strijela' from Bektež, 'Papuk' from Biškupci, 'Sokol' from Bučje, 'Seljak' from Jakšić, 'Vepar' from Kaptol, 'Krndija' from Našice, 'Vranovac' from Vetovo, 'Šljuka' from Pleternica, 'Fazan' from Ruševo, 'Vražjak' from Sesvete, 'Sjeverni Dilj' from Seoce, 'Slavuj Gaj' from Poljana and 'Kuna' from Paka. Over 1300 residents of the county belong to one of the Pozega-Slavonia hunters associations.

Bravo!

Some of the members of the Hunting Associations of Pozega-Slavonia County © Hrvatski Lovački Savez

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January 27, 2021 – At around 9.20 am this morning, a man threw an explosive in Pakrac at two other men. The two men were injured and have been taken to Pakrac hospital

At around 9.20 am this morning, Wednesday 27 January 2021, a man threw an explosive in Pakrac, in Jana Žiške ulica. The explosive in Pakrac struck two other men. The two men were injured and were taken immediately to the Pakrac hospital. One was later transferred to Zagreb.

Details regarding the severity of the two men's injuries were released by the hospital. They said the least injured man was treated for wounds all over his body and that he has suffered damage to his eardrum, but he is not in mortal danger. His colleague did not fare so well. His injuries were so severe that the decision was made to transfer him to KBC Zagreb. He was sent there at around 1pm. He underwent surgery there. Shrapnel had damaged his legs and pierced both his abdomen and head in several places. His condition going into the night was described as stable.

The two men injured by the explosive in Pakrac are employees or sub-contractors of the national electricity supplier HEP. They are a 52-year-old and a 55-year-old. They came to the house of a 71-year-old from Pakrac with another HEP colleague to turn off the electricity, and the 71-year-old threw a bomb at them. It was necessary to take the two men with the greatest injuries to hospital immediately. The third HEP colleague received minor injuries from shrapnel caused by the blast. It is the 52-year-old man who was in a critical condition. He is a popular local man. He also lives in Pakrac. Nearby houses were damaged in the explosion, police said.

Following the incident, the 71-year-old perpetrator locked himself inside the house. Police managed to arrest him after a while.

The national electricity supplier HEP released a statement about the attack which used an explosive in Pakrac

The statement reads:

"On January 27, 2021, at around 9.15 am, three workers of HEP-Operator distribucijskog sustava doo, Elektra Križ, were attacked with an explosive device while disconnecting electricity, at the order of the supplier, at a metering point in Pakrac.

Two workers were injured in the attack and were given emergency medical assistance.

We will be able to give more information about the circumstances of the event after the police investigation.

The Management Boards of HEP dd and HEP-ODS, the leadership of the HEP Workers' Union and the Association of HEP Veterans are appalled by this event and strongly condemn the attack on HEP ​​employees who performed their regular work properly.

HEP Group employees share their indignation and concern with the families and colleagues of the attacked workers"

Pakrac is a town in western Slavonia. It lies around 50 kilometres to the west of where the tragic discovery was made on Monday 25 January of the bodies of two local men found frozen in the snow.

TCN will be updating this story as and when we get more and relevant information.

ZAGREB, March 2, 2019 - A ceremony was held in Pakrac, in Western Slavonia, about 130 kilometres east of Zagreb, on Saturday to commemorate the 28th anniversary since the start of the Homeland War. Those present were addressed by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Mayor Anamarija Blažević, Pozega-Slavonia County Deputy Prefect Vedran Neferović, and war veterans.

Grabar-Kitarović particularly thanked those who had defended the town against Serb paramilitary forces. "Western Slavonia was a strategically important area for our defence in the early spring of 1991. The Greater Serbia aggressors knew that. They attacked Pakrac and other towns on the axis between Pakrac and Virovitica to carve up Croatia and break it," she recalled.

"The initial burden of the defence was on the Croatian police who showed the unbreakable spirit of the Croatian people and resoluteness of Croatian authorities to stop the Greater Serbia aggression," the president said, adding that 1991 was the most difficult.

"That was a key year in which we successfully defended Croatia and laid the foundations of the victorious Croatian army and successfully conducted the first offensive and liberating military operations," she said. "I have made a formal proposal to create a Western Slavonia Medal of Honour to be given to all defenders who fought on this front," she said.

The day's commemoration started with Mass for all defenders killed in the war or who have died since, and was followed by a victory march of Croatian veterans and their families to a local cemetery for a wreath-laying ceremony.

The commemoration was organised by local government and the associations of Croatian police veterans from Pakrac and Lipik under the auspices of President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

Twenty-eight years ago, Croatian special police forces liberated Pakrac from occupying rebel Serbs who had captured the town's police station the day before. During the operation, three police officers were wounded while the rebels were forced to withdraw behind the hill overlooking Pakrac.

The event of March 2, 1991 was preceded by the decision of the predominantly Serb Town Council to annex the town to the breakaway Kraijna region, suspending the Croatian Constitution on February 28. This was followed by the recruitment and armament of Serb police reservists. The rebels took down Croatian flags from the police station and municipal offices and raised Serb flags. The next morning Croatian special police arrived and fighting ensued, with the Croatian forces quickly taking control of the police station, removing the Serb flags and restoring Croatian law in the town.

More news on the Homeland War can be found in the Politics section.