President Milanović: We need to reflect on why people didn’t vote in the European elections, they see something they don’t identify with
“You can’t ask people why they didn’t vote, but it happened. We need to reflect on that. It didn’t happen by chance. People see – or don’t see – something and don’t identify with it. I would say that the job of politics is to change this as much as possible,” the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović said in Nedelišće, commenting on the recently held European elections.
President Milanović participated in the special session of the Municipal Council on the occasion of the Municipality of Nedelišće Day. In his address, he spoke about the low voter turnout in the elections for the European Parliament. “In the elections for the European Parliament, where some things are decided – but what Croatia will be like is decided exclusively in Croatia – only 17 percent of registered voters turned out in Međimurje. The citizens of Međimurje stayed at home! What do the people want to say with this? I don’t even ask whom they want to send a message, because I don’t think the message was directed at me, the authorities in Zagreb, the Government, the mayors, or the bureaucracy in Brussels. But, this is a topic for reflection,” said the President.
“After ten years of EU membership, Croatia is at the very bottom in terms of integration and engagement in EU life, as evidenced by our election turnout. We are not an isolated country; we are a fairly open people and a fairly open country. We are not a country that only became European yesterday; we are an old European nation,” added President Milanović, explaining the possible reasons for the low turnout in the elections.
Furthermore, in his address, President Milanović discussed the budget of Nedelišće, which was presented at the special session. He highlighted the contributions to Nedelišće: “The state and ministries contributed through various projects, European funds, and direct budget allocations. People see this and think that Croatia is a centralized state and that there is too much money concentrated in Zagreb.”
In this context, he stated that perhaps these ratios are still somewhat unnatural “because such developed, somewhat self-sufficient environments depend on the will of central offices and European funds. These funds are a great thing as long as they exist and to this extent, which means that there is money.” “And whenever that is done, and it is being done, it can’t last long. Therefore, get to work and take the last cent of the last euro available, because it won’t last long and we’ll have to rely on ourselves again,” the President concluded.
In addition to President Milanović, the following officials also addressed the audience: President of the Municipal Council Hrvoje Koloman, Head of the Municipality of Nedelišće Nikola Novak, Međimurje County Prefect Matija Posavec, Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, and Mayor of Prelog Ljubomir Kolarek, who represented both the Croatian Prime Minister and the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament.
President Milanović was accompanied by Melita Mulić, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Human Rights and Civil Society.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta