Breakthrough for Green Left Coalition in Croatia

The Croatian parliamentary election of 5 July 2020 saw the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) maintain dominance, securing 66 seats. Despite a tight race predicted by polls, the HDZ benefited from a low voter turnout of 49.6% and the leadership of Andrej Plenković. The centre-left Restart coalition, led by the SDP, underperformed with 41 seats due to ageing policies and leadership issues. The far-right Homeland Movement gained 16 seats but failed to become a kingmaker. A significant outcome was the success of the green-left coalition Možemo, which won 7 mandates, marking the first sizeable green force in the Croatian parliament. Možemo's success is rooted in grassroots activism for environmental sustainability, social equality, and anti-corruption, serving as a potential model for similar movements in Montenegro and Serbia.

• The ruling conservative party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), secured 66 seats in the 5 July 2020 parliamentary election, maintaining its political dominance through a strong clientelistic base and the leadership of Andrej Plenković.
• The centre-left Restart coalition, primarily the Social Democrats (SDP), won only 41 seats, with the SDP receiving 32. This result is attributed to the low popularity of leader Davor Bernardić, ageing economic policies, and a lack of gender diversity in top cadres.
• The green-left coalition Možemo achieved a breakthrough by winning 7 mandates in its first national electoral race, exceeding pre-election polls that predicted only 2 or 3 seats.
• Možemo's political foundation is based on long-term activism in areas such as green policies, women's rights, social equality, and anti-corruption, previously evidenced by the success of the Zagreb is Ours movement in the 2017 local elections.
• The far-right Homeland Movement gained 16 seats but was unable to act as a kingmaker due to the HDZ's landslide victory. The party has been linked to corruption scandals and funding from a Gazprom-connected company.

APA

Prelec, T. (2020). Breakthrough for Green Left Coalition in Croatia. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/breakthrough-for-green-left-coalition-in-croatia/

Chicago

Prelec, Tena. Breakthrough for Green Left Coalition in Croatia. Green European Journal, 2020. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/breakthrough-for-green-left-coalition-in-croatia/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Prelec |first1=Tena |title=Breakthrough for Green Left Coalition in Croatia |publisher=Green European Journal |date=3 September 2020 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/breakthrough-for-green-left-coalition-in-croatia/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{prelec2020breakthrough, author = {Prelec, Tena}, title = {{Breakthrough for Green Left Coalition in Croatia}}, institution = {Green European Journal}, year = {2020}, month = sep, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/breakthrough-for-green-left-coalition-in-croatia/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }