Strasbourg, 15/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Sunday 14 April, Croatians elected 12 MEPs who will represent them after their country joins the EU on 1 July 2013 until the European elections in May 2014. However, only 20.79% of the voters turned out to polling stations. There had been a 44% turnout for the referendum on joining the EU (see EUROPE 10537).
The opposition party, HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union, affiliated to the EPP Group), with 32.87% of the votes, obtains six MEPs in the European Parliament. Five MEPs will come from the party in power, the Social Democrats (SDP), which won 32.07% of the votes. These five MEPs will join the S&D Group at the European Parliament. The last seat goes to the Croatian Labour Party (5.76% of the votes). While this party currently sits as an observer with the S&D Group, it said during the electoral campaign that it might review its affiliation. The Croatians' other votes were scattered among 25 formations, none of which reached the necessary 5% to obtain a seat.
Hailing the results of the parties linked to them, the leaders of the EPP and S&D Groups at the European Parliament, Joseph Daul and Hannes Swoboda respectively, regretted the low turnout. Daul criticised the authorities over the choice of date of the elections. “This low turnout has not done any favours for Croatia's credibility in Europe”, he said. The leader of the EPP, Wilfried Martens, criticised the government for having run “a very bad information campaign (…) for the Croatian citizens, which resulted in the very low turnout”.
Daul and Swoboda hoped that the turnout rates will increase for the next European elections in 2014, at which the Croatians will elect 11 MEPs. (CG/transl.fl)