No surprises in Croatia's local vote
02/06/2009
While the incumbent mayor will continue to lead Zagreb, other Croatian cities will have some new faces at the top.
By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb -- 02/06/09
 Zeljko Kerum, a controversial businessman, was elected mayor of Split in the second round of local and municipal elections in Croatia. [Getty Images] |
Round two of Croatia's local and municipal elections Sunday (May 31st) failed to attract as many voters as did the first election two weeks earlier. By the time polling stations closed at 4pm only 26.5% of the 3 million registered voters had cast their votes.
Preliminary results, confirmed by the state electoral commission, showed that Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic received just over 60% of the vote. Bandic, a Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate, has an extravagant and often controversial political style and a populist bent towards conservative, nationalist values.
Bandic said the results indicate that Zagreb residents recognise his past efforts, as he promised to continue working immediately after the election celebrations.
His rival, university professor Josip Kregar, won over 30% of the vote, but as an independent, had no party backing. "These results must leave a bitter taste to the one who won," he said, hinting at corruption.
In Split, the second largest city, independent candidate Zeljko Kerum won over 57% of the vote in a campaign financed by businessmen. Though Kerum has no political experience, he promised "to employ everyone in town and start working tomorrow". He beat out SDP member Ranko Ostojic for the post.
The third largest city, Rijeka, elected Vojko Obersnel, an SDP member, in the first round, while Osijek, the fourth largest city, elected Kresimir Bubalo, a member of the Croatian Democratic Party of Slavonija and Baranja (HDSSB).
In Dubrovnik, Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Mayor Dubravka Suica lost to the centre left Croatian People's Party (HNS) candidate Andro Vlahusic. In the Velika Gorica suburbs outside Zagreb, a former SDP foreign minister, Tonino Picula, lost to a relative unknown, HDZ candidate Drazen Barisic. In Vukovar, the decades-long HDZ leadership was defeated by an SDP candidate, Zeljko Sabo.
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