The President of Croatia, known for his pro-Russian views, has been banned from participating in early parliamentary elections. What is happening?
The Constitutional Court of Croatia has banned President Zoran Milanović from running in the parliamentary elections, Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) reports.
Miroslav Šeparović, the head of the Constitutional Court, announced the decision on March 18.
"[In Croatia], the president... is a non-partisan person and in the performance of this duty, he must not engage in political activities, which excludes any possibility of the president being on the list for the election of MPs or a nominated candidate for the post of prime minister,"
Šeparović said.
If the president runs for parliament, he must resign as head of state. In this case, the Speaker of the Parliament of Croatia will temporarily perform the president's duties.
Zoran Milanović has repeatedly stated that he will not resign as president and will be the Social Democratic Party's candidate for prime minister.
"These are a few sentences in the Constitution that some people interpret as if it is the management of the penitentiary system. I see it differently,"
Milanović said.
He called the court's decision a "coup" and assured that he "will be the prime minister of Croatia and will receive the mandate... in a legal and dignified manner".
"It's not about the law, it's about political violence," the Croatian president added.
The President of the Croatian Constitutional Court stressed that the State Election Commission is also responsible for the elections.
"I hope that it will continue to fulfil its tasks. I am not going to answer hypothetical questions about what will happen next, whether we will have to resort to constitutional powers," Miroslav Šeparović added.
What is known about Zoran Milanović and the Social Democratic Party?
Previously, the Croatian president opposed Finland and Sweden's accession to NATO, as well as military training for Ukrainians in Croatia.
Milanović does not support the use of the phrase "Glory to Ukraine!" equating it to the slogan of the far-right Croatian Ustaše in World War II — "For home – ready!".
The President stated that Ukraine would not regain Crimea and that Russia would definitely use nuclear weapons in case of a defeat.
"We are sinking deeper and deeper into a conflict with a superpower. Do you know what will happen if they start to lose the war? They will use nuclear weapons," said Milanović.
In January 2022, a month before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Croatian head of state called the Maidan in Ukraine a "coup" and said that "Ukraine has no place in NATO".
"Zoran Milanović's statements retransmit Russian propaganda narratives, do not correspond to Croatia's consistent official position in support of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, harm bilateral relations and undermine unity within the EU and NATO in the face of current security threats in Europe," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine replied then.
The Social Democratic Party, from which Milanović plans to run in the elections, is Croatia's largest centre-left political force.
The party was founded in 1990 out of the League of Communists of Croatia.
In the last elections in 2020, the SDP-led Restart coalition won 41 seats in parliament.
Over the years, the party has mainly occupied the opposition wing of the Croatian Parliament.
Ivica Račan, a SDP party's board member, called the Constitutional Court's decision to ban Milanovic from running in the elections "incomprehensible".
"We disagree with this, but we are legislators and will respect the decision of the Constitutional Court. It is not the first time that the Constitutional Court has made a political decision in favour of its leader,"
Račan added.
The president of the party, Peđa Grbin, also commented on the actions of the Court.
"I cannot tell you what will happen after April 17, as we can do whatever we want after that date. What remains a fact is that a constitutional coup has taken place today," added Peđa Grbin.
Parliamentary elections 2024 in Croatia
Early parliamentary elections in Croatia will be held on April 17. It will mark the beginning of what is known in Croatia as the "year of super elections". After the European elections in June 2024, Croatians will also elect a new president.
The elections were scheduled for autumn 2024, but Croatia decided to hold them before the European Parliament elections.
Eleven opposition parties, led by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the left-wing environmental party Mozemo, filed an official motion to dissolve the parliament. 143 out of 151 MPs voted in favour.
A wave of protests over the policies of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by the current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, preceded this.
The opposition accuses Plenković of corruption. The prime minister has led the country since 2016, and the ruling HDZ has a minimal majority in the 151-seat parliament thanks to a coalition with smaller parties.
The protests took place in the Croatian capital, Zagreb, on February 17, 2024. The protesters demanded early parliamentary elections.
Journalists also protested against the government's plans to pass a law that could lead to imprisonment for revealing details of criminal investigations.
Then, MPs failed to dissolve the country's parliament (Sabor), and the opposition announced a new wave of protests.
President Milanović calls the Prime Minister "the main defender of crime and corruption". Plenković has called for the appointment of Ivan Turudić, who is accused of having links to corrupt officials, as Prosecutor General.
"Vote for anyone but the HDZ [Croatian Democratic Union]. It's a fight for the freedom of Croatia and the Third Croatian Republic," Milanović called.
At the same time, Promocija Plus published a poll showing that the ruling party had 27% support, 10% more than the opposition Social Democratic Party, writes Bloomberg.
Plenković and Ukraine
Andrej Plenković is in favour of Ukraine's European integration. He calls Russia's war against Ukraine one of the main challenges for the European Union.
"We have tried to focus our military assistance by donating various equipment to the Ukrainian army. Croatia is also actively involved in economic, financial, humanitarian and political support for Ukraine,"
the Croatian Prime Minister said.
In May 2022, Andrej Plenković expressed support on behalf of Croatia for granting Ukraine the status of an EU candidate.
"In the war [with Russia], Ukrainians are also fighting for the security of the entire of Europe. The defeat of Ukraine would radically change geopolitical relations and increase Russia's claims for Europe. Ukraine is not alone in its struggle... Croatia strongly stands by Ukraine," the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
