ZAGREB, January 11, 2020 - Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) president Dario Hrebak on Saturday called on centre parties to unite for the next parliamentary election, saying the HSLS and several liberal centre parties shared a similar political agenda.

"Fighting corruption, increasing transparency, introducing digitisation. That's the political agenda the HSLS shares with... Pametno, Start and Lipa," he told reporters ahead of an HSLS Presidency meeting.

Hrebak said the forming of a coalition for the coming parliamentary election would depend solely on the support other parties showed his party's transparency project, such as the one in Bjelovar.

Asked if he had already contacted those parties, he said intensive talks were under way and that his party was open to collaboration with any political party.

Hrebak said the transparency project in Bjelovar, of which he is the mayor, would be the HSLS trademark and that its message was that citizens had the right to know how their money was spent on the local as well as the state level.

He went on to say that big parties like the HDZ and the SDP had done less about corruption over the past 30 years than the HSLS in Bjelovar over the past year.

He said they "are not the solution, they are the problem. They can't successfully fight against corruption."

Hrebak said corruption must be dealt with and that what was going on in Zagreb must stop, adding that the ruling HDZ's biggest mistake was to cooperate with Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.

He said the HSLS, which has one MP thanks to a coalition with the HDZ, would no longer unreservedly support anyone. "It's no secret we support the ruling party, but it's no secret either that we are bothered that (Bandić's MPs) still rule in the Croatian parliament."

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, February 3, 2019 - The vice-president of the Labour Party, Darko Tetec, said on Sunday that this non-parliamentary party would join the Amsterdam Coalition that currently consists of the following five Opposition parties: GLAS, IDS, HSS, HSU and PGS.

The coalition is likely to welcome one more member, the Democrats party led by parliamentarian and a former minister, Mirando Mrsić.

The news about new members of the coalition was made public during an election convention of the Civil Liberal Alliance the acronym of which in Croatian is GLAS.

On 23 February, the coalition is going to present its 12-candidate slate for the European Parliament elections, scheduled for May.

During today's convention in Zagreb, the GLAS leader Anka-Mrak Taritaš said that three GLAS candidates on that slate will be she herself, the party's vice-president Diana Topčić Rosenberg and politician Jozo Radoš, one of the current 11 Croatian MEPs.

The current leader of the Civil Liberal Alliance, Anka Mrak Taritaš was on Sunday re-elected the president of that opposition parliamentary party, the acronym of which in Croatian is GLAS.

Mrak Taritaš was the sole candidate for the post and was supported unanimously by 61 deputies at the convention. Goran Beus Richembergh and Diana Topčić Rosenberg were appointed vice-presidents.

Addressing the convention, Mrak Taritaš spoke about the importance of forthcoming European Parliament elections. "Let us fight for Europe, otherwise ruffians will destroy it," she said, calling on party members to alert the general public against those who promote demagogue and lies.

She said that her party, a member of the Amsterdam Coalition, was committed to the fighting for the cause of Croatia as well as for the cause of the European Union, a political union that provides many people with freedom, peace and prosperity.

More news on the Amsterdam Coalition can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 3, 2019 - Activists of the leftist political platform called "We Can" on Sunday held a news conference to announce the establishment of a new political party that will run in the European Parliament elections this May and in the next state-level elections in Croatia.

"The topics we are going to address focus on a new development based on investments in education, science, green industry, renewables, local communities' development and sustainable agriculture," said Tomislav Tomašević, a member of the Zagreb City Council, said at the news conference held in St. Mark's Square.

The initiating committee consists of 26 activists. "We have decided to become more politically active at the state level as we cannot watch any longer the political elites leading the country into a disaster," the Zagreb councillor said.

The activists' group introduces itself "a broad progressive new political platform which intends to bring together voters from the political spectrum ranging from the far-left, Green to social democracy".

More news on the politics in Croatia can be found in the special section.

ZAGREB, November 16, 2018 - The government on Friday sent to the parliament a new bill on financing of political activities such as election and referendum campaigns and similar activities.

Public Administration Minister Lovro Kuščević said that it had been established that the existing legislation had a number of deficiencies and shortcomings that affect the transparent performance of political activities and therefore the government was sending a completely new bill to parliament.

The new legislation defines for the first time what referendum activities are, and envisages the introduction of an information technology system for monitoring the funding. For that purpose, those involved in political activities are expected to submit financial reports to the State Election System.

The new legislation defines the criteria for determining the amount of funds which local authorities are supposed to set aside for annual financing of political parties. It will also regulate in a more equitable fashion the distribution of budget funds to political parties, Kuščević said.

The funds will be distributed based in the number of seats in the parliament and assemblies at local levels, considering the final results of the elections, he said. Currently, the money is distributed according to the state of affairs when legislatures are inaugurated.

The parliament and local assemblies will have the duty to present reports on the financing of political parties and independent political representatives annually.

The donations exceeding 5,000 kuna will require the conclusion of agreements between donors and donation recipients.

The upper limit for permissible costs in a campaign per slate in the election for the European Parliament will be increased from the current upper amount of 1.5 million kuna to 4 million kuna, which, Kuščević said, is half the amount of the permissible funds in the presidential election campaign.

The money to which an independent lawmaker or local councillor is entitled will be granted to the political party they join, which will put an end to the practice of giving the money directly to lawmakers or local councillors even after they become members of parties.

For more on Croatian political system, click here.

ZAGREB, March 4, 2018 - The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) posted a surplus of a little more than 6.5 million kuna in 2017, according to a financial statement for this ruling political party. Revenue in 2017 amounted to 50.5 million kuna, while expenditure amounted to 44 million kuna, resulting in a surplus of 6.5 million kuna, the HDZ said in a press release.

ZAGREB, March 4, 2018 - The main committee of Croatia's strongest opposition party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on Saturday adopted a draft of its new platform "For a Good Society" and put it forward to the party's convention, scheduled for next Saturday, which is expected to adopt the document.

ZAGREB, February 18, 2018 - Social Democratic Party (SDP) Presidency member Ivana Posavec Krivec said on Saturday that a future-oriented programme of the largest opposition party was in the works.

ZAGREB, January 25, 2018 - The Parliamentary Committee for the Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System on Thursday decided to allocate 53.76 million kuna of the budgetary funds for the work of parliamentary political parties and independent MPs.

Parties with candidate lists with less than 40 percent of women (or men) will have to pay fines between 20,000 and 40,000 kuna.

Leftwing activists, disappointed with SDP and other supposedly leftwing parties, decide to found a new political party.