Several thousand people protested the current government in the Croatian capital of Zagreb on Saturday, demanding that the government, headed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), hold early elections rather than by the end of the year, as promised.
The protests started on February 22nd, and, as seems to be the common thread in social upheaval this year, they were organized via social networking platforms such as Facebook. The protesters, who blocked traffic in the center of the city for 3 hours, made a stop at the agriculture ministry to show support for the country’s farmers, who have been rallying in regions throughout Croatia to demand subsidies from the state.
While over 1,000 police were deployed through Zagreb on Saturday, there were no reports of violence by the pensioners, students, workers, and young people said to make up the majority of the protesters, who threatened a general strike if their demands for early elections were not met. The government of Prime Minsiter Kosor planned on holding elections by the end of this year and is resisting holding early elections because they would supposedly damage Croatia’s chances of joining the European Union, as the talks in the final phases.
Prime Minister Kosor, who took over power from Ivo Sanader (also from the HdZ) when he was arrested in Austria in 2009 on suspicion of corruption, has also been plagued by the very same accusations. While Kosor has stepped up anti-corruption measures, the HDZ itself is seen as the source of many of the country’s corruption issues.
For the original story from Idivid.com, please click here.
The picture comes from europost.bg
“
