Croatia's parliamentary election follows a tight race between the country's two top officials – Winnipeg Free Press.

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) – Croatia's upcoming parliamentary election, set for Wednesday, has sparked a political crisis in the Balkan nation, which belongs to both the European Union and NATO, after a campaign marked by heated exchanges between the country's two top officials.

The vote pits the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, against an alliance of centrist and leftist parties informally led by populist President Zoran Milanovic and his Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The race for Croatia's 151-seat parliament has much at stake, not only for the country itself, but also for Europe, which is grappling with the instability caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

If HDZ remains in power, the country will maintain relative political stability and continue its pro-Western stance in supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russia. The SDP's success could put it on course for victory in June's European Parliament elections and December's presidential election. This would shake HDZ's long dominance of politics and open up potential space for increased pro-Russian influence in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia.

The HDZ has largely been in power since Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991. The Adriatic Sea nation became the newest member of the European Union in 2013 and joined Europe's passport-free travel zone and the eurozone last year.

In Croatia, the president plays a largely ceremonial role, while the prime minister holds most of the political power.

After Milanović called the election and announced his surprise bid for prime minister, he began campaigning on behalf of the SDP. But Croatian Constitutional Court judges intervened, saying the move was unconstitutional.

They said that unless the president resigns, he cannot become prime minister, participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections or campaign for any party.

Milanović refused, blatantly ignoring the Supreme Court and continuing to campaign in favor of a left-wing alliance. He accused Plenkovic and HDZ of corruption and “massive theft” of public funds, citing past and present scandals, some of which have ended. in the courts.

Plenkovic denied the charges.

The election was the latest episode in the long-running rivalry between Plenkovic and Milanovic. Milanovic's use of colorful insults against his opponents and critics has disappointed many, but he remains the most popular politician in the polls, appearing to use more modest words than the outspoken and more reserved Plenkovic.

During the war in Ukraine, Milanovich frequently expressed a pro-Russian stance, opposing the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia as well as sending weapons to Ukraine, which he believed would prolong the war. He called Plenkovic a “simple coward” for preventing him from directly participating in the elections.

After Wednesday, “it's game over for Plenkovic,” Milanovic said, urging voters to turn out in large numbers “to get rid of Plenkovic and his cartel.”