Sketchy Figures

Listen to Today's Edition:

Thousands of Croatians took to the streets of the capital Zagreb over the weekend to protest alleged government corruption and demand immediate elections, ahead of polls later this year, Agence France-Presse reported.

Saturday’s protests ignited after the recent and controversial appointment of Judge Ivan Turudic as the country’s new state attorney general. Turudic – backed by the ruling center-right Croatian Democratic Union – has been accused of having links with individuals suspected of corruption.

The demonstrations were organized by 11 left-wing opposition parties, which have also lodged a formal demand to dissolve Croatia’s legislature.

The Balkan country is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections later this year, as well as those for the European Parliament in June, the Associated Press added. However, the dates for the domestic votes have not yet been determined.

Turudic has denied the allegations, while Prime Minister Andrej Plenković defended his appointment.

But the opposition has accused Plenković and his party of curbing democratic freedoms in Croatia. They urged the public to turn out in force at the polling stations.

Croatia joined the European Union in 2013, following an era of wars and crises in the Balkan region. Last year, it joined the EU’s Schengen visa-free travel zone and the single currency market known as the eurozone.

Still, the EU nation continues to grapple with economic challenges and a significant brain drain, as young people seek better opportunities in richer countries in the bloc.