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Post by jmk on Nov 26, 2003 10:51:09 GMT 1
Just wondering what people's views are on the recent election results.
Are the results likely to have any implications for foreign buyers/property owners?
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Post by Peter on Nov 26, 2003 21:14:18 GMT 1
A few words may be useful on the Croatian General Elections this week. First of all, contrary to the sensationalist reports in the UK press, there has not been a violent lurch to the extreme right.
Also, so that you know where I am coming from, I am British born, was once a constituency vice-chairman in the British Conservative party and have dual nationality. My wife is Croatian and she and her family, who are my main sources for information, favoured the outgoing government.
The winners of the election were the centre-right HDZ, with 33.16% of the vote. HDZ was the party led by Franjo Tudjman when he was alive. However, some time ago the more extreme right wing of the party, who were giving it a bad name, went off and formed a party of their own, led by Franjo's son, Miroslav. They failed totally in the elections and Miroslav Tudjman failed to even get personally elected.His party has no MPs at all now.
The outgoing centre-left SDP got 23.31% of the vote. However, since they were in power leading a coalition which included the HSS(Peasants Party), who got 7.25% of the vote, the agregate vote to compare with the winners is 30.56%.
The remainder of the seats, in the proportionally elected government, are spread around various small parties and even include MPs representing the aged (3 MPs) and the Czech, German,Italian, Hungarian and Bosnian minorities (1MP each) as well as the Serb minority (4MPs). As you will see, the result was neither a lurch towards the extreme right nor even a huge walkover.
There is neither tension here nor any security problem. Today is just another Wednesday.
The incoming government is led by a pragmatic leader, who spent 14 years living in Austria. He is committed to leading Croatia in to the EU and is strong enough to do some of the things that the outgoing SDP did not feel strong enough to tackle, like the question of General Gotovina. Gotovina is wanted by the Hague and the outgoing government were aware that it was a vote loser as Croatians were incensed by Carla del Ponte's attacks on Croat small fry, whilst ignoring the major Bosnian Serb indictees like Karadic and Mladic. The new government just see him as an obstacle to wider benefits for Croatia and if he is in Croatia, which itself is doubtful, they will hand him over. (The previous government rescinded his Croatian passport, but he also uses a French one, from his days in the Foreign Legion.)
The HDZ, as the new ruling party, are perceived as having much the same policies as the preceding SDP. Indeed, the routemap towards joining the EU is so clearly defined that much deviation is not possible and would be counter productive.
If anything, the new government are likely to be more friendly towards foreign investors, as they appear to be linking a promise to reduce VAT to benefits from greater foreign investment.
Overall, there is nothing to worry foreign investors in the change of government.
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Post by David B on Nov 27, 2003 12:13:14 GMT 1
These results seem to me to be part of a pattern in ex-Communist countries - many of them, where reasonably free elections have been allowed, have tended to change the party of government whenever they go to the polls. I suspect the root cause is that voters' expectations of economic improvement go ahead of what can delivered, and voters then turn against whichever party has been in power.
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Post by Peter on Nov 28, 2003 17:04:41 GMT 1
To some extent, although Racan was not bad. He did get very frustrated at having to work within a coalition, though. He might still have won the day if he had been prepared to go into another coalition but was adamant that he had had enough of coalitions. As it happens, his main coalition partners, the HSS Village Party, now appear to be going in to coalition with the election winners, HDZ.
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Post by Tom on Nov 29, 2003 16:24:43 GMT 1
Racan was honest, but incompenent! I just hope thte the new lot will be better!
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Post by Tad on Dec 10, 2003 18:55:55 GMT 1
Has anyone managed to form new government? (Right or Left people?)
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Post by David B on Dec 12, 2003 12:19:36 GMT 1
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Post by Stephen on Dec 13, 2003 4:26:22 GMT 1
Hi There, Question?
Do you think Europe will be watching the performance of this Government in light of the Frajo Factor?Europe turned away from the NDZ when he was in power.
Stephen
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