Republic (Croatian: Republika), formally Res Publica (Latin: lit. 'public affair') in English, is a centrist political party in Croatia.[1][2] The party's founder and current president is Damir Vanđelić. It ran in the 2024 parliamentary election in a coalition with Focus.[3]
Republic Republika | |
|---|---|
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| Abbreviation | REPUBLIKA |
| President | Damir Vanđelić |
| General Secretary | Krešimir Kuterovac |
| Founder | Damir Vanđelić |
| Founded | 2 December 2023 |
| Headquarters | Masarykova ulica 10, Zagreb[1] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Centre to centre-right |
| National affiliation | Focus – Republic |
| Colours | Gold Maroon |
| Slogan | "For a Croatia of happy people!" ("Za Hrvatsku sretnih ljudi!") |
| Sabor | 0 / 151 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 12 |
| County Prefects | 0 / 21 |
| Mayors | 0 / 128 |
| Website | |
| republika | |
Name and symbol edit
The party's name was inspired by Dubrovnik's Republic of Ragusa.[4] By its statut, the party's international name is Res Publica (Latin: public affair). The party's symbol is a golden marten, the national animal of Croatia.[5]
History edit
On 2 December 2023, the party was founded and introduced to the public by its leader Damir Vanđelić, ahead of the parliamentary election of the upcoming year.[6] Vanđelić, a former head of the INA supervisory board and director of the Reconstruction Fund, was previously in negotiations with Croatian Democratic Union to be their candidate for Mayor of Zagreb in the 2021 Zagreb local elections, but he refused.[7]
The party members are described as people successful in their fields, most of whom haven't been politically active before. The six vice presidents elected at the founding convention included Vesna Škare-Ožbolt, former Minister of Justice in the cabinet of Ivo Sanader (2003–2006), Gordana Deranja, former head of Croatian Employers Association, and Dario Marenić, former deputy leader of Croatian Party of Rights — Dr. Ante Starčević.[2][8]
On 17 January 2024, Škare-Ožbolt left the party as it "violated her integrity".[9]
The party announced a coalition with a liberal party Focus for the parliamentary election.[3] The coalition, with Vanđelić as the candidate for Prime Minister, is focused on lowering taxes, implementing reforms and fighting corruption. Republic failed to enter Sabor.[10][11]
Ideology edit
Vanđelić described the party's ideology as "widely centrist", with elements of social policies and "strategies that would usually be attributed to the so-called centre-right".[2] When asked about abortion on N1, he gave a controversial statement for saying that, while the final decision is on the woman, "a woman's greatest urge is to bear (a baby)".[12]
Election results edit
Legislative edit
| Election | Coalition | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition totals | Republika only | |||||
| 2024 | Fokus | 47,715 | 2.25 (6th) | 0 / 151
|
New | Extra-parliamentary |
References edit
- ^ a b "Registar političkih stranaka Republike Hrvatske". mpu.gov.hr. Ministry of Justice and Public Administration (Croatia). Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ a b c "Hrvatska je dobila novu političku stranku: Ima poznatih lica, obećavaju plaće veće za 50 posto". dnevnik.hr (in Croatian). Nova TV. 2 Dec 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ a b Vukelić, Hana (25 March 2024). "NEĆE SDP NEGO REPUBLIKU! / Nađi i Fokus na izbore idu s Damirom Vanđelićem: Neslužbeno, ide u dvoboj s Plenkovićem" [NOT SDP BUT THE REPUBLIC! / Nađi and Fokus are going to the elections with Damir Vanđelić: Unofficially, he is going to a duel with Plenković]. net.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 27 March 2024.
- ^ "Vanđelić dao stranci ime jer mu je uzor Dubrovačka Republika". index.hr (in Croatian). Index. 10 Mar 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Statut". republika.hr. Republic. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Damir Vanđelić osnovao stranku Republika u zadnji trenutak prije superizborne 2024.: pročitajte tko su suradnici". sibenski.slobodnadalmacija.hr (in Croatian). Slobodna Dalmacija. 2 Dec 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Vanđelić o raskidu suradnje s HDZ-om: 'Herman je rekao da bez Milana Bandića ne možemo dobiti izbore'". telegram.hr (in Croatian). Telegram. 6 Sep 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Vanđelić u predizbornu trku ide s čovjekom kojeg je bivša stranka izbacila: 'Umrlo prije nego se rodilo'". direktno.hr (in Croatian). 2 Dec 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Vesna Škare Ožbolt napustila Vanđelićevu stranku". index.hr (in Croatian). Index. 17 Jan 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Fokus i Vanđelić idu zajedno na izbore. Imaju i kandidata za premijera". index.hr (in Croatian). Index. 27 Mar 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Davor Nađi i Fokus su konkretni: pojeftinjenje režija, isplata 13. mirovine i ukidanje PDV-a na kupnju prve nekretnine". vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Večernji list. 10 Apr 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ^ "Vanđelić odgovarao na "škakljiva" ideološka pitanja: "Najjači nagon kod žene je da ona rodi"". n1info.hr (in Croatian). N1. 3 Dec 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.