HDZ Secures Sweeping Victories in Croatia’s Local Elections

(MENAFN) Croatia’s ruling party, the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), secured sweeping victories in Sunday’s decisive second round of local elections, local media reported Monday.

In the capital city of Zagreb, incumbent Mayor Tomislav Tomasevic secured re-election with 57.5% of the vote, defeating independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudic, according to a news agency.

“We will continue to fight relentlessly for Zagreb,” Tomasevic declared to supporters following his win.

In Split, Croatia’s second-largest city, HDZ’s Tomislav Suta unseated incumbent Ivica Puljak with 53% of the vote. Promising an inclusive approach to leadership, Suta said he would be “the mayor for all citizens of Split.”

A landmark victory unfolded in Rijeka, where independent candidate Iva Rincic was elected as the city’s first female mayor, commanding 65% of the vote.

She hailed the outcome as “a big step forward for Rijeka.”

In Vukovar, Marijan Pavlicek of the right-wing Christian Croatian Sovereignists narrowly triumphed over HDZ-backed candidate Domagoj Bilic.

Elsewhere, in the coastal city of Pula, former Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Pedja Grbin returned to the political spotlight by defeating independent mayor Filip Zoricic.

HDZ continued its momentum with significant wins in other urban centers, including Sibenik, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Karlovac.

On the regional level, HDZ secured 12 county prefectures, among them Brodsko-Posavska, Dubrovnik-Neretva, and Lika-Senj.

One of the election’s tightest contests unfolded in Varazdin County, where HDZ’s Andjelko Stricak narrowly edged out SDP’s Bruno Ister by just 96 votes.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who heads HDZ, lauded the outcome as “a convincing victory” and a clear affirmation of public confidence in the party.

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