Parliamentary opposition parties on Thursday criticized the government's plan to pay out a "Covid supplement" to pensioners, and a tax refund to young people in the run-up to local elections, describing it as a form of vote buying.

Arsen Bauk of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) told reporters in the Parliament building that the government “has obviously sorted its priorities to ensure the best possible election result” for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

“We support a Covid supplement for pensioners, even before elections. I think the Croatian democracy is mature enough and that this will not result in voters voting en masse for the HDZ,” Bauk said.

MP Stjepo Bartulica of the right-wing Homeland Movement said that Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic often expressed his disdain for populists. “I see a great dose of populism in the timing of this measure,” he said.

“We are all equal in Croatia, but obviously some groups are more equal than others, especially with elections coming up. In principle, I am not against helping the pensioners, but the way in which the government runs its policies actually increases cynicism in Croatia,” Bartulica said.

MP Bozo Petrov of the conservative populist party Most noted that the government had promised several years ago that the living standards and monthly incomes of pensioners would rise considerably, suggesting that the measures proposed by the government should remain permanent.

Bojan Glavasevic of the Green-Left Bloc said that “the pensioners and young people, as vulnerable groups, need systematic rather than occasional assistance.”

Unlike the opposition, HDZ MP Ivan Celic did not deny the allegations but drew parallels with a similar move by SDP when they were in power.

“Let me remind you that a month before elections the (SDP) government of Zoran Milanovic gave away electricity vouchers of 200 (€26), which can be seen the same way as the Covid supplement,” he said.

(€1 = 7.57 kuna)