How to Survive Electoral Torture?

A series of mistakes in statements, disputes over who is right and who is wrong, and sharp messages in the campaign will hopefully cease on November 8 when the elections will be held.

A lot has happened in the week when the business weekly Lider marked its 10th anniversary. Let’s go in order… Yes, we have to endure less than a month more, but given the statements made by politicians in the fight for well-paid positions in power, we hope it won’t seem too far away. It is certain that we will continue to hear gaffes such as the incorrect calculations of the share of reduced VAT in GDP by Deputy Prime Minister Branko Grčić, the attempt by Interior Minister Ranko Ostojić to take credit for the return of the Croatian train from Hungary that transported migrants, as well as his incredible statement that the train will be picked up on a track that has not existed for 50 years! Minister of Entrepreneurship and Crafts Gordan Maras joined in, calling the Croatian Chamber of Commerce ‘an elitist pigsty of an opposition party’. The HGK responded that it ‘hopes that such a situation will never occur in our country again, where people without results and confirmed competencies hold important ministerial positions’. When you add to this the open war of Prime Minister Zoran Milanović against Hungary, the sparks flying towards President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović (and vice versa), towards the HDZ, but also from the HDZ towards the SDP, as well as the complete gaffe of HDZ President Tomislav Karamarko when he was asked on state television to list five items on which the HDZ’s election program is based, everyone wishes to sleep through the time remaining until the elections.

The promises and squabbles of politicians mean little to the residents of Pelješac. They experienced a flood on Saturday and Sunday after heavy rains. They were ravaged by torrents and landslides because after the horrific fires this summer in Trstenik, there is no longer a pine forest to stop the water. Locals have been warning about this development for months, but no one takes them seriously. Unfortunately, such a development is all too familiar to us – citizens are not heard until misfortune strikes them several times.

From Germany, they announce that they could start returning migrants to Croatia and Slovenia because, according to them, they treat them humanely unlike Hungary and Greece. Minister Ostojić immediately made an unimaginable statement until recently that in that case, Croatia would also close its reception centers.

In Croatia, irregularities in the software for optimizing nitrogen oxides will be removed free of charge from 26,457 Volkswagen vehicles. Minister of Environment and Nature Protection Mihael Zmajlović called Volkswagen a greedy corporation and will advocate for compensation for damages. We could welcome such a statement if it weren’t for the usual pre-election words and a person associated with the scandal of relocating the ministry to luxury offices in Zagreb Tower.

Finance Minister Boris Lalovac does not expect any measures from the European Commission against Croatia in the case of the Swiss franc. He believes that after everything, banks will not withdraw from Croatia, but will also respect the law that has been passed, otherwise, they will pay millions.

As many as 150,000 unfulfilled hours will have to be made up by primary and secondary schools after the teachers’ strike, which achieved nothing. All hours will be paid to teachers, but students will have to make up for the backlog. As if that weren’t enough, some educational institutions did not work even on Friday since Thursday was Independence Day.

That Africa could be an opportunity for Croatian exporters was heard at the Lider Exporters’ Club meeting: ‘How to do business in Africa – Angola, Egypt, South Africa’. Namely, Europe is stagnating, while Africa is growing, and its undeveloped markets are suitable for making deals, says Antonio Šeparović, owner of the company Oradian from South Africa. He states that although there is political instability, the risk is still small compared to the potential profit.