(ANSA-AFP) - ZAGREB, APR 16 - Croatia heads to the polls on
Wednesday for parliamentary elections that have centred around a
bitter fight between the country's longtime rivals -- Prime
Minister Andrej Plenkovic and President Zoran Milanovic.
The showdown comes as Croatia grapples with widespread
corruption, a chronic labour shortage, the highest inflation
rate in the eurozone and persistent illegal migration along its
borders. For months, Plenkovic and his ruling Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ) party looked poised to score an easy win
and secure his third term as premier. But in March, Milanovic
shocked the nation by saying he would challenge the prime
minister. "A quite predictable vote turned into an uncertain
battle," political analyst Tihomir Cipek told AFP. Milanovic,
whose presidential term expires in January, is backed by the
Social Democrats Party (SDP) and says he wants to create a
"better and more just country". Milanovic has targeted in
particular Plenkovic's recent appointment of a high-ranking
judge as Croatia's new state attorney general. The appointment
sparked street protesters over the judge's alleged corrupt
dealings. Adding to the race's drama, Croatia's top court barred
Milanovic from running, since the presidency is largely a
ceremonial office for a person without a political affiliation.
It said he would have to resign from his post first. But
Milanovic has refused and continued to crisscross the country in
recent weeks campaigning against the HDZ.
If the SDP and its allies are able to win enough seats in the
151-seat assembly, Milanovic could then resign and be named
prime minister designate -- in what would be an unprecedented
move in Croatia. For now the HDZ continues to enjoy a steady
lead in opinion polls, with around 30 percent of voter support
compared to 20 percent for the SDP. (ANSA-AFP).
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
