SDP is almost neck-to-neck with HDZ
HRejting, the biggest survey conducted by Croatian National Television (HRT) on 1400 persons, confirmed stabilisation of electorate after the European elections. Two biggest parties are leading: HDZ has the support of 27,6% and SPD 24,8%. But, while HDZ is stabile, SDP is up more than 6,75% compared to May.
Only two more parties on the national level would enter Sabor (parliament): Independent list of Mislav Kolakušić (independent in European parliament) with 6% and Most (Bridge) with 5,1% (census is 5%).
This survey has to be judged by Croatian electoral law: Croatia is divided into 10 electoral units. So in some units, local parties are likely to pass the census. Because of that 13 parties has MPs.
“Only if the difference falls below two per cent, given the statistical error we have to count in the polls, we will no longer be sure which of the two parties holds primacy”, said Goran Čular, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb for jutarnji.hr.
“HDZ has a stable position and there are no surprises there. The rise of the SDP is not due to substantive changes in the party's leap in terms of the program but to the disappointment of their voters, who gave their vote, above all, to the Human Shield and who returned to the SDP again. And, because in the past few months, the SDP has stifled intra-party conflicts”, said Prof. dr. sc. Pero Maldini for hrt.hr.
On the presidential elections on the end of the year situation is as follows according to HRejting: in first-round, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, incumbent president, will get 28,5% votes, Zoran Milanović (SDP) 24,8%, and Miroslav Škoro (independent) 18,2%.
Grabar-Kitarović has a problem: she lost 6,17% in the last four months, while Milanović growth was: 6,27%. Both of them get almost the same percentage of votes as their parties.
In second round Grabar-Kitarović would beat Milanović: 52,3%:43,2%. And Miroslav Škoro as well: she will get 49,2% and Škoro 41,6%.
“The results are expected because the right electorate is a little stronger, and it splits into two candidates relative to the left electorate, stressed prof. Maldini for hrt.hr.
Elect a president in Parliament
The Croatian People's Party (HNS), a junior partner in the ruling coalition, will launch an initiative together with constitutional and legal experts proposing that the President of the Republic should be elected by parliament in the future, and hence it will not support any of the candidates in the forthcoming presidential election, HNS leader Ivan Vrdoljak said on Saturday. Hina
Agreement of Serbia with the Russian Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an opportunity for Croatian firms
Serbian representatives are expected to sign a new free trade agreement with EAEU members in Moscow on October 25th. Serbian government reiterated that Serbia's goal remains full EU membership, which Belgrade is already negotiating. Belgrade emphasized that this can even open up new opportunities for Croatian companies with production facilities in Serbia. “This agreement makes it possible for those Croatian companies to market their products to the Eurasian Union market on more favourable terms”, said for novac.hr in Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).