Pro-Ukrainian Andrej Plenković leads Croatia's new HDZ government

The Croatian parliament approved a government dominated by the conservative, pro-European HDZ party, headed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who is in his third term, Reuters reported on May 17.

Out of 141 lawmakers present, 79 voted for the government, 61 voted against, and one abstained.

"We want a successful, vital, just, sustainable, and sovereign Croatia," Prime Minister Plenković told parliament, presenting the government's program.

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The anti-immigrant DF party campaigned on a platform of defending traditional family values and opposing allowing the minority Serb party to join any future coalition.

However, according to the coalition agreement between the two parties, HDZ will retain its ministers of interior and culture, meaning that policies in key sectors related to migration and minority rights will not change, analysts say.

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"It is obvious that Prime Minister Plenković will find a way to continue leading centrist policies focused on the EU," said political analyst Davor Gjenero.

"I think there will be no major change in public policies. Croatia remains stable as a state advocating more Europe."

The DF party won only 14 seats in the government, while HDZ won 61 seats out of 151. Another 42 seats went to the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its allies.

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The DF, which entered the government for the first time, will head the Ministry of Agriculture, a new Ministry of Demography, and part of the Ministry of Economy, which was split into two departments. HDZ retained ministers from the previous government, bringing in only one new face.

In foreign policy, an HDZ-led government would maintain a strong pro-Western, pro-Ukraine stance, said Andrius Tursa, Central and Eastern Europe advisor at Teneo. He added that the biggest challenge for the new government will be fighting corruption, which negatively affects the business environment.

Croatian MPs supported the dissolution of parliament on March 13. The vote was originally scheduled for the fall, but the government decided to hold it before the European Parliament elections in June. On April 17, the HDZ won the parliamentary elections but received fewer seats than before and did not win a majority.

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