General election
Croatia is planning early elections
According to critics, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic wants to bring forward the parliamentary elections because he fears that the popularity of his center-right HDZ party will continue to decline by the fall. photo
© Armin Durgut/AP/dpa
In Croatia, the newest EU member state, there are signs of a turbulent election campaign and pressure on the media. Prime Minister Plenkovic, who has come under criticism, is aiming for a more stable majority.
Shortly before, under pressure from Plenkovic, the people’s representatives had passed a controversial law against whistleblowers. The opposition fears that this is intended to cover up corruption by politicians from Plenkovic’s camp.
Prime Minister Plenkovic is criticized
According to critics, Plenkovic wanted to bring forward the election because he fears that the popularity of his center-right HDZ party will continue to decline by the fall. Like the German Union parties, HDZ also belongs to the European People’s Party (EPP). Plenkovic only had a narrow majority of MPs behind him in parliament.
The prime minister has recently been heavily criticized for his judicial and media policies in the country. The stumbling block was, among other things, the law against whistleblowers passed on Thursday before the dissolution of parliament – the “Lex AP”, as it is popularly known after the first letters in the prime minister’s name. According to this, informants who pass on information from judicial investigation files to the press will in future be punished with up to three years in prison. The law was controversially discussed for months during its project phase and was also criticized by the Council of Europe.
Prison sentences for whistleblowers
After protests from journalists’ associations and the opposition, the government abandoned the plan to punish journalists for publishing this information. Critics say their work continues to be hampered because whistleblowers are threatened with punishment.
The election of lawyer Ivan Turudic as top public prosecutor in February at Plenkovic’s instigation was also controversial. Turudic is accused of having been in friendly contact with people suspected of corruption. There was also criticism that Plenkovic recently made it clear several times that he did not want to cooperate fully with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO). EPPO has been working since June 2021 and is intended to investigate cross-border corruption cases involving EU funds.
Croatia only joined the EU in 2013
Croatia is the youngest member of the EU and joined in 2013. It was not initially clear when the new election would take place. It could be scheduled for April 14th at the earliest and May 12th at the latest. President Zoran Milanovic will decide on the date. The Russia-friendly Milanovic is a bitter political enemy of the pro-Western Plenkovic. The presidential election is also due at the end of this year.
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