The protest "Against Poverty, Corruption and Crime" will take place at noon on Ban Josip Jelacic Square in Zagreb, announced Milivoj Spika, chairman of the "Pensioners Together" (BUZ) bloc. He spoke about the reasons for the protest on N1's morning programme Novi dan.

Milivoj Spika explained the motivation for the new pensioners’ protest:

“The HDZ is constantly talking about freedom and a better life for pensioners, but their policies have made them less free than ever before. You can declare someone free and say that they can travel wherever they want, but if they don’t have a cent in their pocket, if pensions and income are minimal, they can’t go anywhere – they are trapped. Andrej Plenkovic’s government is building a Bastille for the people, and we will tear down this Bastille, one way or another,” said Spika.

“Why is Christmas only during the elections?”

He also addressed the pensioners’ parties, who want to cooperate with the government and reach agreements:

“I would be ashamed to make such statements at a press conference. I would be ashamed to go among the people and say that this government has done something good for pensioners. The Christmas bonus – no one is naive – everyone knows that it was paid out to buy votes for the HDZ presidential candidate, but it doesn’t help. Why isn’t there Christmas every year, but only during elections?

Everyone who supports this government does so out of self-interest. If they cared about pensioners, they would join us and admit that pensions are not increasing in real terms despite nominal increases,” he said.

“Pensioners are not living any better”

“Pensioners are definitely not living better. Nominal pension growth is not in line with real growth and that is what the government is manipulating to distract people. They are playing with statistical data to make it appear that things are improving, but they are contradicting themselves,” Spika added.

Spika responded to accusations by the Croatian Party of Pensioners that he was supporting President Zoran Milanovic:

“Zoran Milanovic doesn’t need a campaign, they’re all running one for him. I could just get in his way. Milanovic has nothing to do with this protest. We announced it months ago, before we even knew when the presidential election would take place.”