Elections for Croatian president

This elections was very interesting to me, because I've observed methods and psychology that candidates were using during campaign. First let’s recapitulate:
From 13 candidates, we have two who has qualified for second election round. Those are actual president Stipe Mesić (with 49%), and HDZ party candidate Jadranka Kosor (with 20%).

Votes of Croatian emigration

Very interesting is the fact that elections was taken to second round by votes of Croatian emigration, who has right to vote, and who traditionally vote for HDZ and their candidates. I don’t know their motives for such preferences, but the fact is that in Croatia people gave to Mrs. Jadranka Kosor about 18% of votes, and Croatians who live in other countries (US, Australia, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina….) gave her whole 60%! Amazing if we consider that those people don’t even live in Croatia and apparently will not share any consequence for electing one or another candidate.
And more they don’t pay taxes in Croatia, but thanks to their votes, new election round will cost us(who pay taxes in Croatia) some 10.000.000 EUR. I may sound a little critical toward Croatian emigration, but I hope they will understand that it is not in evil faith, but that I am trying to explain our situation, and situation around election. Most of us here in Croatia agree with fact that electing Kosor for president, would put almost all power in hands of one man: current prime minister Sanader.

Boris Mikšić

A surprise of this elections was Mr. Boris Mikšić (Boris Miksic), an American businessman, which many people perceived as someone new, unburdened, and capable, who could change our actual economical situation. Here I will not talk to much about him, you can visit his web site, but with almost 18% that he won, Croatian people has send strong message to our lead politicians, that people want changes, that they are sick of all fake promises, affairs, corruption and other things made during last 15 years. Unfortunately, after initial great presentation, Mr. Miksic has shown him self as very undemocratic by not recognizing the electoral results, his loss from Mrs. Kosor. Instead of capitalizing his popularity for some other occasion(after all, ass people perceive, he is very new in politics), I think that he has ruined his positive image by introducing some very doubtful imputation without giving any proof. Even more, he has called people to the streets, so I cannot understand his motives for such behavior, or is it political incompetence.

What makes people voting decision?

One of the most interesting things on this elections, was to observe peoples way to choose candidate to vote for. There are few main factors which decide who we vote for (sorted by, my opinion, importance):

1. Credibility and merits
2. What option, and whose option (in sense of political party) is he/her sustaining
3. Who I am against (in that case who could won over him/her)
4. From those who I like, who has greatest chance to win
5. Capabilities and personality
6. Political program

So I’ve came to conclusion (I repeat that this is only my opinion) that competence, personality and political program are at the end of the list. Criteria No1 is most important, and people are correctly perceiving it’s importance. But what is bad, that we are giving less weight to capabilities and personality than to Criteria No4. That way some good candidates can be eliminated. Best example on this elections is Croatian Liberal Party candidate, Đurđa Adlešić, which was rated by all as maybe the best and more competitive, but no one has gave her much chance (analists, statistics), and because of this people hasn’t voted for her. Almost all persons that I spooked to, has rated her at the top, but at the end she got only about 3% of votes.