ZAGREB, March 8, 2020 - The Croatian Sovereignists party on Saturday presented its platform for parliamentary elections due this autumn, calling for changes to election law, decommunisation and "raising the ethnic minorities to the level of the majority Croatian people."

Ladislav Ilčić, a member of the party's council, said that they were offering "a solution to the question of ethnic minorities that terrorise the majority people."

"Nationality would be defined by citizenship and not by ethnicity. We would raise all members of the existing ethnic minorities to the level of the majority Croatian people. We will be a country of equal citizens and there will be no divisions any more," Ilčić said in a packed concert hall where the presentation took place.

The Sovereignists also propose decommunisation, removing antifascism from the constitution and changing election law by abolishing special lists for the minorities and "illogical constituencies" so that the entire country would be a single electoral unit.

They said they would stop Croatia's entry into the euro area, stressing that the kuna was "the last bastion of Croatian sovereignty."

"We are offering the citizens a social catharsis because without radical change there will be no prosperity," the party's leader Hrvoje Zekanović said.

The party is seeking to bring together ideologically similar political groups and is hoping for cooperation with the parliamentary Bridge party. Asked by reporters if they would enter into a coalition with the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Zekanović said. "Of course not."

The party's co-leader, MEP Ruža Tomašić, said she expected their platform to win at least 25 seats in the next parliament. She dismissed the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Croatian People's Party (HNS) as potential coalition partners, adding that post-election cooperation with the HDZ would depend on "what principles it would uphold."

Another co-leader, General Željko Sačić, said that their platform would offer a better future for Croatia, in which after 2000 "a gang of evildoers cast into the mud everything that was created in the Homeland War."

"The scum have plundered and devastated the Croatian people in the last 20 years. Thieves have sold INA, ruined the Institute of Immunology and brought agriculture to its knees," Sačić said, stressing that the Sovereignists would stand in the way of those wishing the Croatian people "a globalist future".

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, March 7, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković says in an interview with the Večernji List daily that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) positions itself firmly as a centre-right party that enables the highest number of the citizens to be gathered around the values of patriotism and Christian Democratic values.

Plenković said in the interview published on Saturday that the HDZ would first complete the ongoing process of the intra-party elections and that it would embark on preparations for the parliamentary elections so as to clinch one more victory.

As for the counter-candidate for the HDZ presidency, Miro Kovac and his team, Plenković describes them as people pursing alternative policies without any potential for coalitions.

Upon the completion of the elections in the party, we will search for (coalition) partners on the ground of their programmes and worldviews, the premier and the HDZ leader says.

He went on to say that the HDZ and Croatia's leadership "will be stakeholders and we will not push Croatia into isolationism".

Croatia's sovereignty can be bolstered by the country's stronger position in the European Union and by exerting its influence on regional, European and global developments, he explained.

In this context Plenković also gave an overview of the activities Zagreb is taking during the Croatian presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2020.

He promised the committed work on the issues crucial for the Croatian state. demographic revitalisation, economic growth, balanced development of the country, making the judiciary more efficient.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, March 1, 2020 - Croatian People's Party (HNS) president Ivan Vrdoljak said on Sunday the HNS would run independently in this year's parliamentary election, after which it would talk with those who would not bring Croatia back to ideological divisions and WWII.

He was responding to reporters' questions in Osijek about the situation in the coalition with the ruling HDZ and with whom the HNS would form a coalition after the next election given that "the SDP has renounced them and perhaps not even HNS voters have accepted the coalition with the HDZ."

Vrdoljak said the HNS ran in parliamentary elections in a coalition with the SDP (Social Democrats) in 2003 and 2007 and alone before that, just as it would now.

"After the election, we will talk with those who won't return us to ideological divisions, to history and World War Two, whose main policy won't be to hate someone and not recognise their freedom but who will pull Croatia forward."

Asked if the reference to going back was meant for the HDZ, Vrdoljak said it was meant "for everyone who gets involved in politics and whose main interest is that we should resemble some historical Croatia, which I don't think was all that glorious."

He said "we really don't need... people who will say that 'For the homeland ready' is a very polite and civilised greeting, and that the Ustasha movement had little anomalies but was nice. That's sick. I don't want that to be either discussed in Croatia anymore or be the guiding state policy."

Vrdoljak said the HNS decided to enter into a coalition with the HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) to prevent a serious political crisis in Croatia, dozens of companies from going bankrupt and thousands of people from losing their jobs.

Asked if the coalition was strong, he said it was a much bigger challenge to enter the coalition than it would be to leave it. He believes they have performed as expected because, he said, a school reform has been launched after 30 years, employment and GDP have gone up, and the Agrokor conglomerate was saved from bankruptcy.

Vrdoljak was speaking to the press ahead of an election assembly of the HNS Osijek-Baranja County branch.

More HNS news can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, February 29, 2020 - The GLAS party will run in the coming parliamentary elections with the platform "Green development - free development", party leader Anka Mrak Taritaš said on Saturday.

Speaking at a news conference at which this opposition party presented its coordinators for ten constituencies, Mrak Taritaš recalled initiatives launched by GLAS, including a proposal for a revision of the Vatican agreements, a proposal for the adoption of a resolution on the climate and environmental crisis, and proposals for a more efficient judiciary.

"Green development is a topic that cannot be ignored, climate change and its consequences have made us realise that we have to make big adjustments. Those adjustments are on the one side dangerous and on the other they create new opportunities for our economy and we must be prepared to use them," said Mrak-Taritaš.

She said that the key topic of the second part of the party platform was personal freedoms.

"The right to choice, a secular state, equality before the law and further progress in realising one's full potential for all people are the main elements of our policy," Mrak-Taritaš said, adding that the party looks forward to diversity.

GLAS is willing to cooperate with all parties that share its values, she said.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, February 26, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday the parliamentary majority was stable despite disputes over the population census law and Sunday work, and that he was confident it would see its term through.

"It's not an issue which would destabilise the majority. I think the matter was agreed to last week already. Tomorrow I will convene the parliamentary majority and we'll discuss that too," he told reporters who asked him if he had talked with ethnic minority MPs about the census law after the rejection of their amendments to it.

Plenković said the parliamentary majority could not be destabilised by the debate on Sunday work either. The Croatian People's Party, the coalition partner of his HDZ, is against banning it.

"Despite everything, no matter how much someone tries, it won't happen. The term will be carried out until the end as it should," he said, adding that those advocating a snap election should know that "political stability is necessary for Croatia and its economy, institutions, democracy, employment, salary growth in the public and state sectors, higher pensions. Those who don't understand that are politically illiterate and irresponsible."

Plenković also commented on the resignation of Chief State Prosecutor Dražen Jelenić after it was discovered that he is a member of a Masonic organisation, saying Jelenić did his job fairly and professionally.

He would not comment on possible disciplinary procedures against Jelenić. He said it was important to him that the integrity of the State Prosecutor's Office remain beyond question and that this was why he told Jelenić that it would be appropriate for him to resign. Plenković said it was common sense for someone to say they were a member of an organisation, notably when taking one of the most important positions in the judicial system.

"I don't think Jelenić did anything illegal or that he compromised his work. He worked professionally and by the law, but this circumstance brought him into an untenable situation in that position."

Plenković also said that he had not talked with President Zoran Milanović yet about extending the term of Security and Intelligence Agency (SOA) chief Daniel Markić, which expires in May. "We'll talk. Markić has my full confidence. If he wants to continue to run SOA, he will."

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, February 21, 2020 - Participants in a two-day conference on fascism and anti-fascism in present-day Europe, which started in Zagreb on Thursday, condemned the strengthening of extreme right politics and cases of undermining democratic values in Europe.

Addressing the event, which brought together some 50 participants from 15 European Union member states and a some countries in Croatia's neighbourhood, the leader of the SABA RH antifascist association in Croatia, Franjo Habulin, said that the re-emergence of fascism is being seen and systematic attempts to subjugate the values of anti-fascism, under the pretext of stepping-up condemnation of communism and equating Communism and Fascism.

Habulin insists that it was the Communists who played significant roles in many movements of resistance, and praised Communists in Yugoslavia for launching the movement of resistance and for ensuring its victory.

He also said that the fact that Communism is "an ideology and mindset that was never realised in the world" was being incessantly ignored.

Habulin criticised the media, education system and religious communities for downplaying the criminal character of Fascism, with the tacit approval "from some democratic governments and with the active participation of the EU."

At the start of the conference, the International Federation of Resistance Fighters the acronym of which is FIR presented its statement in which it condemns the Hanau massacre in which a 43-year-old extremist killed at least nine people as well as his own mother and then committed suicide in that German town near Frankfurt.

The FIR association extended its condolences to the families of the victims and urged politicians, NGOs, activists and anti-fascists associations to send an unequivocal message that racist violence should be prohibited.

On Friday, the second day of the conference, participants in the event are expected to adopt a declaration.

The organisers of the Zagreb conference invited representatives of anti-fascist associations from 25 European countries, including 15 EU member-states to attend the conference.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, February 8, 2020 - The spokesman for Andrej Plenković's campaign for intra-party elections of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) confirmed on Friday that apart from Plenković, who is running for top position in the party leader, War Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved would be the nominee for the party's deputy leader.

The other nominees for four vice president positions are Transport Minister Oleg Butković, Foreign Ministry's State Secretary Zdravka Bušić, HDZ whiip, Branko Bačić, and Osijek-Baranja County Prefect Ivan Anušić.

The new leadership will be elected in line with one member, one vote principle on 15 March. If a second round of the election will be necessary, it will be held on 22 March.

Spokesman for Plenković's team, Davor Božinović, said on Friday that the members of the team led by Plenković had proven themselves in their professional and political life.

He is also confident that the HDZ and the government could continue to be successful under Plenković's leadership.

Presidential hopefuls are supposed to collect over 10,000 signatures from HDZ members in the period from 10 to 28 February, or 5% of the total number of members. There are some 210,000 registered members of this the largest political party in the country.

In late January, HDZ parliamentarians Miro Kovač, and Davor Ivo Stier, who used to be foreign ministers, as well as Vukovar Mayor Ivan Penava confirmed at a joint news conference that that they would run in the forthcoming party elections as a team. Kovač and Penava will be contesting for the party's leader and deputy leader, while Stier said he would run for one of the four positions of vice presidents.

Medved, who is running for the position of the HDZ deputy leader, said today that Plenković's team had prepared an integrated and affirmative programme for the serious and responsible polices for running Croatia.

"The team will win these (intra-party) elections and the parliamentary elections next autumn."

An important element in Plenković's team that it is clearly reflected, is that the Homeland War and Croatian veterans are the strongest foundation of the independent and sovereign Croatia and in that light, I will play a great role, said Medved.

More HDZ news can be found in the Politics section.

One of my favourite people in Croatia is a friend in Dalmatia who works in the adventure tourism business. 

Apart from being a little jealous of the healthy lifestyle this fat Irishman can only aspire to, she also gave me one of the keys to being happy in Croatia over a beer several years ago. 

"I don't follow politics here at all. It consumes you if you get sucked into it. All that negativity. Instead, I just tune out, do my thing and enjoy my friends and the beautiful nature in Croatia. Maybe after 6 months, I will check what is happening, but you know what? Despite all the noise and negativity, nothing ever changes, so why surround yourself with the negativity every day when you can enjoy life instead?"

It is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given in Croatia, and I find that when I follow this advice, my happiness factor in Croatia increases immeasurably. 

Of course, running TCN makes it impossible not to get totally immersed in the country's politics on a regular basis, and I really do believe that there is a direct link between the default negative mindset of the majority of people in Croatia today, and the rather bizarre culture here (at least to this foreigner) of treating politicians as rock stars. 

A few years ago, I wrote an article called Kindergarten Political Football: HDZ United v SDP City, in which I wrote:

Ours is one of the very few non-political households in Croatia, a country where politics seems to be discussed more than any of the 95 countries I have visited. The political theme starts early in life, something I was reminded of this week when my youngest daughter, aged just 7, came home from school and mentioned a friend 'who was HDZ' and another 'who was SDP' (things I also heard at kindergarten). She had no idea what SDP or HDZ actually were, but it seems that many of her peers had adopted their political football team for life, in addition to Hajduk on the pitch. 

My older daughter, 9, saw the ridiculous video from the Josipovic campaign, declaring the former president to be very silly in the video. I asked her to name any politicians she could recognise, knowing that the average adult British worker could probably name and recognise no more than half a dozen, and a 9 year-old hardly any.
Starting with the mayors, we had Milan Bandic (Zagreb), Ivo Baldasar (Split) and Niksa Peronja (Jelsa), former president Josipovic, former prime ministers Sanadar and Kosor, current players Milanovic, Karamarko, Petrov and Kolinda. "Oh and that new guy from Canada, who calls us citizens buildings" - a reference to a linguistic slip by new Prime Minister Tim Oreskovic.

This is a child growing up in a household with no political affiliation, no political discussions at the dinner table, and no interest in politics whatsoever. Imagine what the kids in more partisan households are going through. 

Back in the UK when I lived there, it was common to see the Prime Minister in the media on an almost daily basis, other ministers too on occasion when their department was in focus. But unless a minister was caught texting little boys or a Tory MP found with an orange up his bottom, the media presence was minuscule compared to what happens here in Croatia. 

In Croatia, political stories and scandals are the top stories of the day more often than not, the politicians are elevated to the level of rock stars personalities (even though several seem devoid of a personality at all). Great drama is attached to the most minor of incidents, which are then quickly forgotten in search of the next non-story to grip the nation. 

The office of the Croatian President is a case in point. In terms of PR, the last five years have consumed a huge amount of media space, as the Kolinda PR machine was rolled out, with photo opportunities at every point (with the notable exception of the opening of Rijeka as the European Capital City of Culture in her home town last weekend). So many speeches, so many promises, so much hot air. And at the end, what did Kolinda actually achieve in those five years? As far as I can see, not much more than one thing.

She became the first Croatian to touch the World Cup. 

I, like many people, have followed the dramas of the Kolinda Presidency over the last five years. My healthy adventure tourism friend has done the opposite. And what actually changed?

Absolutely nothing. But while I was sucked into the spiral of negativity, she was hiking on Biokovo. 

It doesn't take a genius to figure out which of us is the smarter one. 

So too with the recent presidential elections. Two candidates that many could not bear to vote for, but there was no other choice. The lesser of two evils was a phrase which was associated with the second round. And even though the post of President is largely ceremonial, with two unattractive choices, it consumed the nation for weeks. 

But not my friend, as she kayaked from Split to Hvar on a perfect winter day. 

The obsession with politics might actually have a point if something were to actually change, but with mindsets so entrenched, have you ever come across a political opinion that was changed by Croatia's vast army of keyboard warriors? 

Croatia treats its politicians like rock stars. They are anything but. 

So why not choose life? Why not choose happiness? Disengage and ignore and focus on friends and nature instead. 

It makes for a much better way of life in Croatia. 

And who knows, if enough people do, then perhaps the media moguls will take note and we can focus on some real news, perhaps even with a hint of positivity on occasion. 

Now, where are my hiking boots?

If you cannot keep away from Croatian politics, get your fill in the TCN politics section.  

ZAGREB, January 28, 2020 - During the first 39 months of the term of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's government, 14 cabinet ministers have been replaced with most of them having to step down due to scandals related to their personal property and assets.

In addition to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the only ministers from the original cabinet, which came into power on 19 October 2016, include Finance Minister Zdravko Marić, Veterans' Affairs Minister Tomo Medved, Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković, Minister of Culture Nina Obuljen Koržinek, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli and Environment and Energy Minister Tomislav Ćorić, who was originally Minister of Labour and Pension System.

The most recent minister to "fall" from Plenković's "starting lineup" is Health Minister Milan Kujundžić while the first ministers, who were "expelled" were ministers nominated by the MOST party, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) junior coalition partner after the September 2016 election, after they voted against rejecting a no confidence motion, submitted by the Opposition, against Finance Minister Marić.

This led to a new parliamentary majority being formed with the Croatian People's Party (HNS) taking on the role of HDZ's junior coalition partner in mid-2017 when changes happened at the helm of seven ministerial departments.

The HNS nominated Predrag Štromar for the Minister of Construction, while Blaženka Divjak took on the Ministry of Science and Education replacing Pavao Barišić who was ousted due to the scandal of alleged self-plagiarism of a research paper

Davor Božinović who had served as chief-of-staff in Plenković's office was then appointed as Minister of Interior Affairs while Dražen Bošnjaković was appointed as Justice Minister. Tomislav Ćorić was appointed as Minister of Environment and Energy vacating his ministerial position of labour and pension system which was then taken over by Marko Pavić while Lovro Kuščević was appointed Public Administration Minister.

Disappointed with the fact that the government took the HNS as its junior partner, the then Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier of the HDZ, resigned and his position was taken over by Marija Pejčinovic Burić.

When the "hotmail" scandal erupted regarding the adoption of the law on systemic companies, dubbed Lex Agrokor, in May 2018, Economy Minister Martina Dalić was replaced by Darko Horvat.

The next major government reshuffle occurred over non-transparent property dealings surrounding four ministers which was why in July last year Plenković dismissed Agriculture Minister Tomislav Tolušić, Regional Development and EU Funds Minister Gabrijela Žalac, Public Administration Minister Kuščević and State Assets Minister Goran Marić.

Nada Murganić, who was at the helm of the ministry of demographics, family, youth and social policy was replaced due to accumulated problems in social welfare system.

Marija Vučković was appointed Agriculture Minister in the reshuffled government while Marko Pavić was transferred to the helm of Regional Development and EU Funds. The Labour Ministry was taken over by Josip Aladrović while Ivan Malenica was appointed to the Public Administration Ministry and Vesna Bedeković was appointed to the Ministry of Demography, the Family, Youth and Social Policy, and Mario Banožić took on the State Assets Ministry.

During that same reshuffle, Pejčinović Buric who was already elected Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, was replaced by Gordan Grlić Radman.

According to the latest reports, Minister Kujundžić will be replaced by Assistant Minister Vili Beroš.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.

ZAGREB, January 15, 2020 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday, on the occasion of the 28th anniversary of Croatia's international recognition, that the political legacy of the first president, Franjo Tuđman, was that in less than 30 years Croatia had politically established itself internationally and was now chairing the Council of the EU.

"Twenty-eight years ago, Croatia was internationally recognised and today is also the 22nd anniversary of the completion of the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube River Region into the constitutional order, which is Croatia's success and president Tuđman's political legacy," Plenković posted on Twitter.

"In less than three decades, Croatia won the Homeland War thanks to Croatian defenders, it politically established itself internationally as a member of the European Union and NATO, and today presides over the Council of the European Union at a crucial time for the future of Europe."

Twenty-eight years ago, Croatia was recognised by the EU member states. Germany, which together with the Vatican played a key role in that, established diplomatic relations with Croatia on 15 January 1992. At the time, the war was on and almost a third of the country was under occupation by the Yugoslav army and Serb rebels. On the same day in 1998, Croatia completed the peaceful reintegration of the Danube River Region, reclaiming its recognised borders.

More politics news can be found in the dedicated section.