October 8, 2019 - While there is some speculation that Zagreb's mayor will enter the race for Croatia's presidency, one Milan Bandic has already joined the race.
Full disclosure - my record of interviewing winners in Croatian presidential campaigns is poor, as Ivo Josipovic will testify to when I interviewed him for a Canadian news portal back in 2014.
But have I backed a winner this time?
Milan Bandic has run for President before, coming second to Josipovic in 2010. And while the Zagreb Mayor mulls another run, lo and behold, but ANOTHER Milan Bandic has entered the race.
Known until recently as Dario Jurican, presidential hopeful Milan Bandic, who you can see interviewed on primetime national news below. His core message seems to be very egalitarian - corruption for all!
1. You have decided to run for President and even changed your name to Milan Bandic, coincidentally the same name as Zagreb's mayor. Firstly, what made you decide to run, and why the name change? 1. You have decided to run for President and even changed your name to Milan Bandic, coincidentally the same name as Zagreb's mayor. Firstly, what made you decide to run, and why the name change?
I changed my name a long time before the campaign, and I changed the name because God came in my dreams and told me — you gonna be Milan Bandić, the saviour of Croatia! You, Milan, are the future. So I changed the name and here I am — running for President of this holy land.
2. There has been talk that there is a possibility that we will have two Milan Bandićes running against each other if the Zagreb Mayor also decided to run. That could be fun.
I am here now fully focused on this campaign for President and concentrating on this challenge, and I still hope the other Milan Bandić will announce his campaign for President.
3. We will come to the campaign in a moment, but we are a little obsessed with bureaucracy at TCN. How easy is it to change your name in Croatia regarding paperwork?
It was a normal process — I made the application, and they delivered the decision in regular time.
The hell only came later when Mayor Milan Bandić unleashed his bureaucratic dogs on me. They cancelled the decision made by their own local body. I was forced to appeal the decision and won.
Just yesterday came a new decision from the Mayor's office. It seems to me that Mayor Bandić is going personally against my name change. To be continued...
4. Let's talk policy. What do you offer that others do not, and what are the core campaign pledges and areas of focus?
In Croatia structures cherish the custom of hiding corruption. There is so much hypocrisy and false shame around it.
I have put corruption at the centre of my campaign — my main motto is: corruption for everyone, not just to them. I will give corruption back to the little corrupt people and I will counter every offer to voters by giving double!
5. How do you assess the state of politics in Croatia today, and what is the best route to a better Croatia and effective change? We seem to be stuck in the same place without ever moving forward.
Croatia is a small, unimportant country with underdeveloped corruption. We need to make it legal, and we need to make it big.
6. You are currently just under 2% in the polls. How do you plan to improve on that?
I'm not worried. Stjepan Mesić had 2% support in the polls in 2000. and he became a two-term President.
The win is just around the corner!
7. What will happen to your name after the election if you don't win? Will you remain Milan Bandic?
Milan Bandić is my destiny, my muse, my future...
8. And finally, why should people vote for Milan Bandic for President in a sentence.
I will make Croatia corrupt again!
You can follow the Milan Bandic presidential campaign on Facebook.
