Zagreb

Young green-left candidate Tomislav Tomasevic, leader of the Mozemo! (We Can!) party, came out on top in the local election run-off on Sunday in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, winning the most votes in the history of mayoral races in the city.

Rather than being a work-horse for the people of Zagreb, Bandic is "a Trojan horse working against the citizens," Tomasevic told some 4,000 protesters at the site.

Avoiding old ideological divides

Tomislav Tomasevic at a protest against a construction project in Zagreb's Varsavska street, February 2010. Photo: Flickr/tomislav medak.

Social media has made it easier for Croatian nationalists to attack opponents who speak publicly about controversial periods in the country's history.

Green-Left Trend?

Croatian leader of 'Mozemo' Party Tomislav Tomasevic casts his ballot at a polling station in downtown Zagreb, Croatia. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANTONIO BAT

A young left-wing mayoral candidate, Tomislav Tomasevic, leader of the "Mozemo!" [We can!] party, came first by a big margin in Sunday's local elections in the capital, Zagreb.

Exactly a year after the Croatian capital Zagreb awoke to scenes of chaos from a 5.5-magnitude earthquake, reconstruction has not even started despite a post-earthquake reconstruction law that came into force last September,

Whoever wins, experts agree he or she faces a tough task running a city dominated for so long by Bandic, whose energetic, six-term rule over Zagreb was marred by a string of corruption scandals.

Marcelic noted that Croatia has already seen a drop in employment and in the economy. "An additional problem is inconsistent crisis management that certainly creates dissatisfaction [among people]," he said.

The earthquake was also felt in the region, it was reported in Banja Luka, Zagreb, Vukovar and Split.
According to the EMSC, the earthquake was 6.3 on the 46 kilometers from Zagreb.

Nine months after a powerful quake hit the Zagreb area, many of the victims still do not know when their homes will be rebuilt - and face a long winter in rented flats, hostels or even containers.