ZAGREB, 15 April, 2021 - Parliamentary opposition parties on Thursday criticised the government's plan to pay a COVID supplement to pensioners and a tax refund to young people in the run-up to local elections as vote buying.

Arsen Bauk of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) told reporters in the parliament building that the government "has obviously sorted its priorities to ensure the best possible election result" for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"We support a COVID supplement for pensioners, even before elections. I think the Croatian democracy is mature enough and that this will not result in voters voting en masse for the HDZ," Bauk said.

Homeland Movement MP Stjepo Bartulica said that Prime Minister Plenković often expressed his disdain for populists. "I see a great dose of populism in the timing of this measure," he said.

"We are all equal in Croatia, but obviously some groups are more equal than others, especially with elections coming up. In principle, I am not against helping the pensioners, but the way in which the government runs its policies actually increases cynicism in Croatia," Bartulica said.

Bridge's Božo Petrov noted that the government had promised several years ago that the living standards and monthly incomes of pensioners would rise considerably, suggesting that the measures proposed by the government should remain permanent.

Bojan Glavašević of the Green-Left Bloc said that "the pensioners and young people, as vulnerable groups, need systematic rather occasional assistance."

Unlike the opposition, the HDZ's Ivan Ćelić disagreed that this was an attempt at vote buying for local elections. "Let me remind you that a month before elections the (SDP) government of Zoran Milanović gave away electricity vouchers of HRK 200, which can be seen in the same way as the COVID supplement," he said.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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

ZAGREB, June 2, 2020 - Ombudswoman for people with disabilities Anka Slonjsak on Tuesday called on all candidates campaigning ahead of the election to refrain from using people and children with disabilities for election purposes.

Slonjsak underscored in a press release that she had noticed in previous political campaign numerous actions detrimental to people and children with disabilities.

The difficult position of people and children with disabilities is often used to increase a political party's rating and show their social awareness.

At the same time, such a declarative commitment to the rights of people with disabilities is not translated into actions that really show respect for their voting and political participation rights.

When it comes to the choice of polling stations, we have often noticed that people with disabilities cannot access them, so it necessary to provide locations accessible to people with disabilities and other people with reduced mobility, Slonjsak said.

There should also be polls in healthcare facilities and social welfare institutions where people with disabilities reside because they have difficulties exercising their voting rights unlike, for example, people in the prison system, for whom special polling stations are organised.

Moreover, the marked under-representation of people with disabilities in political life points to a number of obstacles that are put in their way when it comes to how political parties function.

The ombudswoman thus calles on political parties to present their political programs in a way that is accessible to people with disabilities, especially the deaf, the blind, and voters with intellectual disabilities, and to ensure polling stations are accessible to disabled people.

ZAGREB, May 23, 2020 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Davor Bernardic said on Saturday in Dubrovnik that voting for the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) meant voting for corruption.

Responding to Plenkovic's statement in an interview that a vote for Miroslav Skoro was a vote for the SDP, the opposition leader thus reiterated his accusations against the HDZ.

He went on to say that during the four-year of the term of the current government Plenkovic "has hidden behind Brussels, his aides, various task forces, the virus, and crisis management teams."

Commenting on Plenkovic's statement that the ban on Sunday work will be lifted if it is established that it is no longer required epidemiologically, but that he is for Sunday to be a non-working day, the SDP chief said that Plenkovic could not decide whether to have working or non-working Sundays.

"He could not take a position on important decisions for Croatia. Therefore, he cannot be at the helm of Croatia, and he will not be after 5 July," Bernardic said at a news conference in Dubrovnik before an SDP meeting.

Bernardic accused the Plenkovic government of lack of care for the tourism sector and promised that as soon as the SDP won the election, that party would reduce Value Added Tax in tourism and hospitality to 10%.