HRKrešimir Macan ahead of elections: These are the biggest challenges for HDZ candidates
Only two months remain until the local and regional elections, so it’s no surprise that things have already „heated up“ considerably in some areas, with many changes on the political scene looking likely. After the presidential elections and HDZ’s failure with its candidate, as well as Milanović’s support for SDP in the last parliamentary elections, the latest RTL Crodemoskop poll for the local elections shows a higher rating for SDP, while HDZ remains stagnant.
What is the current state of the political scene in the country? What changes can we expect? In which cities and counties will the race be uncertain? Communications expert Krešimir Macan, one of the most experienced analysts of Croatia’s political landscape, commented for Glas Slavonije and the portal pogled.hr on the current situation, the balance of power, and potential coalitions.
“SDP gained momentum through President Milanović’s unconstitutional involvement in the parliamentary elections, and Milanović himself then convincingly won a second term. SDP’s rating has risen so much that it has almost caught up with HDZ, which has been slipping downward. It seems as though the wave that „turned Croatia red“ in the presidential elections is still present, now reinforced by the pragmatic coalitions between SDP and Možemo!. This could pose a challenge for certain HDZ candidates, who may easily secure first place in the first round, only to have all other parties rally against them in the second round. In the parliamentary elections, SDP and Možemo! ran separately, even in HDZ strongholds, which proved to be a miscalculation,” he emphasized.
In his podcast Špica s Macanom, Macan commented that the election race in the capital city could be interesting, even though the current mayor of Zagreb, Tomislav Tomašević, remains the frontrunner. Many citizens are dissatisfied with the state of the city, and the recent independent presidential candidate Marija Selak Raspudić, who received significant public support, would be the strongest opponent.
„Zagreb is a great example of how things can change dramatically from week to week if there is at least some foundation. The fact is that exactly half of Zagreb’s citizens are dissatisfied with the state of the city, which has created an opening for a strong challenger to the current mayor“, Macan noted. He added, „in elections, nothing is ever decided until the voting stations close – and sometimes not even then – so we have yet to see what the leading challengers, Tomašević, Lovrić, and Bernardić, will do in this situation, as their individual ratings currently lag significantly behind Tomašević’s.“
The standings in other major cities and counties, potential surprises, and the situation in smaller communities are also analyzed. Read Krešimir Macan’s insights and rating analysis at the following link.
