Despite this, the ruling conservative party won handsomely. That was unexpected. Polls had been tight in the run-up to the election.
Green-Left Coalition
But, with almost 97 percent of the vote counted, the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 66 seats out of 151. This contrasts with the centre-left’s 41.
Since the two sides had been neck-and-neck in the last elections, this represents an unexpected triumph for the centre-right. It gained seats, while the centre-left lost seats.
The centre-right’s success can partly be explained by the fact that Croatia has so far weathered the coronavirus comparatively well – officially, just 3,151 cases and 113 deaths – which compares favourably with countries like the US and the UK.
The centre-left’s lack of transformative vision must also be part of the equation. Its technocratic and social liberal offering hardly excites. The centre-right Bridge (Most) also lost seats, gaining only eight.
By contrast, Croatia saw the rise of a right and left wing in politics. The nationalist Homeland Movement came in third with 16 seats.
Led by hardliner folk singer Miroslav Škoro, the movement is characterised by a right-wing agenda: unfriendliness towards Croatia’s Serb minority; a revisionist approach to the Second World War-era, fascist Independent State of Croatia; and its vocal anti-abortion stance.
Worryingly, the Homeland Movement may prove to be a king-maker in the new parliament, as the HDZ does not have enough seats to rule by itself. Whether or not it manages to enter government, it will remain a worrying opposition force.
Thankfully, the election also saw the emergence of a left pole in politics in Croatia for the first time since the country’s independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
The green-left coalition won seven seats, exceeding expectations. It performed spectacularly well in the city of Zagreb and very well in several other regions, including in the traditionally left-leaning Istria.
Emerging from various civic and left-leaning initiatives and movements, especially in the capital city, the coalition was able to point to both a record of activism in the past and a transformative, left wing vision for the future.
This will be a boost to movements which will challenge the dominance of the neo-liberal and nationalist right in Croatia.
It will not be plain sailing, however. There were tensions within the coalition between its left-liberal and openly anti-capitalist components during the campaign, which represent a real contradiction going forward. It is unclear how cohesive the new coalition will prove to be.
Nevertheless, the election of an openly anti-capitalist MP, Katarina Peović of the Workers’ Front, offers the far left a bridgehead in Croatia and the region.
The group’s ability to use this bridgehead to raise the sights of working-class militants, strengthen extra-parliamentary campaigns, and crystalise a revolutionary socialist component in the labour movement in the coming period will be critical.
Source: LeftEast. Note from LeftEast editors: We post this article in cooperation with Counterfire.