Croatia newly chooses: surprise wins and historical turning points!

Croatia newly chooses: surprise wins and historical turning points!

Rijeka, Kroatien - On June 1, 2025, the second round of local elections ended in Croatia, with the polling stations closed at 7:00 p.m. The overall elections were as expected, with a significant exception in Rijeka, where the independent candidate Iva Rinčić won a surprising victory.

In Zagreb, the left-green incumbent Tomislav Tomašević was able to defend his position with 57.6 % of the vote. He clearly prevailed against the candidate Marija Selak Raspudić, who received 42.4 % of the votes. In the first round on May 18, Tomašević was also clearly at the forefront.

results in Split and Rijeka

In Split, the government party HDZ reported a significant victory after winning the mayoral election after four years. Tomislav Šuta won the election with 53.2 % of the votes against the liberal incumbent Ivica Puljak, who received 46.8 % and announced his withdrawal from politics after this result.

The elections in Rijeka, however, caused a sensation. Iva Rinčić, who was able to achieve 41.07 % of the votes in the first round, finally won almost 65 % of the vote against Marko Filipović, who received 35 %. Rinčić has been the first female mayor of Rijeka for over 50 years and thus made the Social Democrats (SDP) to lose control of the city after more than 30 years.

political analyzes and trends

political analysts such as Višeslav Raos and in front of it, mostly, rate the election results as expected, but emphasize the unexpected outcome in Rijeka. Filipović's decision to run independently was seen as a big blow for the SDP, which achieved weak results in other cities like Sisak.

in Zagreb was the collaboration between the SDP and the Green Link Party Možemo! Successful, and the surveys indicate that Tomašević can easily survive the second round. His list received 43.56 % of the votes in the city assembly. In contrast, the HDZ candidate Mislav Herman only came to 12.97 % of the votes, which indicates strategic mistakes by the party.

The majority of voters obviously had little motivation, which was also evident in the low turnout. Many citizens consider the local elections to be less significant, which has reduced interest in active participation.

look at the upcoming parliamentary elections

These local elections are made in the context of the upcoming parliamentary election in Croatia, which is scheduled for April 17, 2024. The official results of this election will be published on April 29, 2024. The political developments and the election results will also be pursued in the next few months, especially against the background of the current trends and the results of the local elections.

A total of mayor in 47 cities and 61 municipalities as well as captains in 12 panels were elected in the stab elections. The political effects of these elections will surely influence the direction of the upcoming parliamentary elections.