Ivica Puljak, the candidate of ALDE Party member Centar for the Mayor of Split, Croatia’s second largest city, successfully won election with 56.7% of the vote in the second round of voting on 31 May.

In the first round, Mr Puljak finished ahead of Vice Mihanović, the candidate of the ruling party HDZ (23.25%) and former Mayor Željko Kerum (14.98%), whose HGS party has been in a coalition with the HDZ in the Split City Council for the past four years.

A renowned scientist and professor, Mr Puljak was one of the several thousand scientists who participated in the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland in the long-term discovery of the Higgs boson.

Elsewhere in Croatia, ALDE member parties Istarski demokratski sabor (IDS), Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka (HSLS) and Hrvatska narodna stranka - liberalni demokrati (HNS) also fought local campaigns and achieved some notable victories such as in Istrian County and the cities of Bjelovar, Čakovec and Split.

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The Renew Europe Group in the European Committee of the Regions is looking forward to involve newly elected Mayor Puljak in their Liberal Mayors Network and Liberal Mayors Summit (LMS). This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will take place online on 8 July from 15.00 to 18.00 Brussels time.

Photo credit: Marijana Puljak