How the State ‘Push’ for HDZ Candidates in Local Elections Will Look

The government’s order to HAC to accelerate the construction of the last section of the Zagreb – Sisak highway has proven to be yet another skeleton from Sanader’s closet full of old pre-election junk. Namely, the construction of 18 kilometers from Lekenik to Sisak was contracted on May 8, 2009, eight days before the then local elections.

At the ceremonial signing of the contract, Prime Minister Sanader was present, and according to the official statement, it was ‘the best proof of the Croatian state’s concern for Sisak and the Sisak-Moslavina County.’ This concern was revived almost twelve years later, after the earthquake, but also ahead of the new local elections scheduled for May.

Pre-election Civil Protection Headquarters

To be fair, the elections for county heads, mayors, municipal mayors, and their assembly extensions/controllers often escape the usual frameworks that apply to the state. However, from Banski dvori or from Trg žrtvava fašizma (and I do not mean that square as the seat of the Lider editorial office), they will do everything they can to support local party candidates and lists.

So, what can we expect in the coming months? The authorities will focus on three key pre-election points: declaring a new victory over the pandemic, convincing voters in areas affected by the earthquakes that the state is doing everything to help and rebuild their homes, and a new round of ribbon-cutting, laying of cornerstones, and signing contracts for various infrastructure projects, garnished with money from EU funds.

At the same time, the business community is closely monitoring the signals that will be sent from the HDZ’s pre-election headquarters (civil protection). For example, the entire events industry hopes for the easing of measures that would allow live gatherings. However, there is still concern that the situation will be declared too healthily (and politically) risky for gatherings, such as those of the opposition. In addition, there is always the possibility that independent HDZ epidemiologists will declare new dangers – there are always threatening new virus strains – and postpone local elections at least until the situation improves to last summer’s level. Perhaps July 4 could be a convenient alternative date. By then, HDZ will also present to the public its anonymous second candidate for the first round in Zagreb (given that they already have the first candidate for the second round, only they do not yet acknowledge it) who is ‘better than Damir Vanđelić.

Earthquakes will be an important pre-election factor in Zagreb, Sisak-Moslavina County, but also in parts of Zagreb and Krapina-Zagorje. More than a third of voters live in that area. The central government, which has taken on the largest part of the decision-making and responsibility for reconstruction, will hardly have more tangible results by May (except for the set containers), so this will open space for local opposition. On the other hand, with this ‘sacrifice of quality,’ the central fund under government control will control huge funds and their distribution over the next ten years, which is why some local chair can be given, for example, that of the Sisak-Moslavina County head from which the multiple compromised Ivan Žinić is leaving.

Santa Claus and Elves

The third part of the pre-election program can be mirrored from the last local campaign when Prime Minister Plenković, like Santa Claus with his entire ministerial team of elves, traveled across Croatia distributing state and European ‘candies’ wherever his party had a chance for success. It can be assumed that the ‘Project Slavonia,’ worth 2.5 billion kuna, will still be in the foreground, as well as a series of projects for Dalmatia.

In the pre-election strategy, addressing specific interest groups is also important. Therefore, the HDZ simply postponed the unpleasant opposition request to abolish the mandatory membership fee for the Croatian Chamber of Commerce until after the elections. For the same reason, the Law on Veterans is currently being amended, which further improves their status 26 years after the end of the war, facilitates the realization of additional rights, and broadens the employment opportunities for veterans’ children. There will be more of this.

Abolishing the surtax is still the most effective

However, despite all the ‘pushes’ from the ruling party through the central government, the most effective election campaign is conducted on the ground. Thus, HDZ’s mayor of the municipality of Đurmanec Damir Belošević abolished the surtax of ten percent four years ago before the elections. He won a second term in the first round. Voters forgave him for being the one who introduced that surtax in his first term.

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