1993 Croatian Chamber of Counties election explained

Election Name:1993 Croatian Chamber of Counties election
Country:Croatia
Next Election:1997
Seats For Election:63 of the 68 seats in the Chamber of Counties
Election Date:7 February 1993
Turnout:64.34%
First Election:yes
Nopercentage:yes
Party1:Croatian Democratic Union
Seats1:37
Percentage1:45.49
Party2:Croatian Social Liberal Party
Seats2:16
Percentage2:21.83
Party3:Croatian Peasant Party
Percentage3:11.62
Seats3:5
Party4:Istrian Democratic Assembly
Percentage4:3.42
Seats4:3
Party5:Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Leader5:Ivica Račan
Percentage5:1.88
Seats5:1
Party6:Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats
Percentage6:0.69
Seats6:1
Party7:Appointees
Leader7:
Percentage7:
Seats7:5
Speaker
After Election:Josip Manolić
After Party:Croatian Democratic Union

Chamber of Counties elections were held in Croatia for the first time on 7 February 1993.[1] The result was a victory for the Croatian Democratic Union, which won 37 of the 63 elected seats.

Background

Under the new constitution adopted in 1990, the Croatian Parliament was bicameral. The lower house had been elected in 1992 and its representatives had passed laws creating new territorial organisations of Croatia. This included counties that were to be represented by the upper house – the Chamber of Counties.

Each county elected three members, while the President had the right to appoint five members, known as "Virils".[2] The electoral law made each county a district that was to elect three representatives on the basis of proportional representation.

In practice, the use of proportional representation in such small districts led to a single party – the Croatian Democratic Union – being grossly overrepresented because sometimes even with less than third of the votes guaranteed two of the three seats.

The elections were marked by an uncharacteristically intense campaign directed towards single region – Istria. The government of Franjo Tuđman has invested great effort to defeat the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) after being concerned by the party's good result during the 1992 elections. This effort backfired, resulting in record vote for the IDS.

Notes and References

  1. [Dieter Nohlen]
  2. Nohlen & Stöver, p419