Croatia’s ruling party launches its election campaign.
On Saturday, the ruling party has organized a large motivational rally which marked the beginning of its electoral campaign. The party president Zoran Milanović has received thunderous applause. Such atmosphere has not been seen at SDP rallies for years, and it is obvious that SDP is “pumped” to win the elections and that they can “smell” they could once again win against HDZ, reports Vecernji List on September 26, 2015.
After the national anthem and a minute of silence for those who died in the war, the first speaker was the deputy prime minister Branko Grčić. He said that the government managed to overcome the recession and crisis after six years. “We spent the first two years on bringing order, and the focus was to save jobs. We have turned around all the economic trends. We are going forward. Croatia is growing unstoppably.”
He said that they succeeded because they did not listen to advice from foreign institutions, the agents of big business as Grčić called them, who demanded only cuts. “We went the other way. We do not need painful cuts. We need Croatia which is growing”, said Grčić.
Minister Milanka Opačić said that they have saved the country from the crisis and that they do not have anything to be ashamed of. She pointed out that when HDZ is in power they pillage the country, and then SDP has to save the day. “Some people in the opposition are bothered by our names, but I want to tell them that patriots are not those who have pillaged our land. Patriots are the ones who have saved the country from the crisis.”
The third speaker was the finance minister Boris Lalovac. Judging by loud chants, it seems that he is currently the most popular member of the party hierarchy after Zoran Milanović. In his short but fiery speech, Lalovac criticized bankers, HDZ and Boris Vujčić, the governor of the Croatian National Bank.
“My message to Vienna and Milan is this: Return the money that you have taken from Croatia. This is the government which said: enough! This is the government which said no to negotiations in Vienna, Klagenfurt, Brussels or Milan. The negotiations can only take place in Zagreb, in front of the Croatian citizens”, said Lalovac.
After a short promotional film, the final speaker at the rally was prime minister Zoran Milanović. He said that this was the happiest day of his political life and that he had never experienced something like this, not even on the day when he became prime minister. “We’ve got a tough match to play, it will not be easy, but I see that your hearts are big and your eyes sparkle. I can only say: Follow me!”, said Milanović.
Milanović gave several specific promises, such as that the local government system will be transformed after the elections and that they will talk with big banks. “After the election, we’ll sit in Zagreb with the banks, and not Klagenfurt, and ask them why does a Petar Horvat have to pay interest of 5 percent over the next 20 years. It will not be a showdown with the banks, but a meeting with common sense.”
He told all members that the elections will be difficult because a lot of votes could be wasted, and that there is a possibility that the power could be taken by “the people who are eager to grab Croatia by the throat”.
“There is no turning back. Come out and fight! In this city there is enough room for all of us, but there can be only one government. And that is our government.”
