Left of Croatia
Encyclopedia
The Left of Croatia is a marginal leftist Croatia
n political party
with no parliamentary representation.
The Social Democratic Union was founded in 1992, following Croatian independence, being one of very few political parties to identify itself as left-wing. Most of their members were former Communists or left-wingers displeased embracing Croatian nationalism, the excesses of privatisation and human rights abuses of ethnic minorities. The first leader of the party was Branko Horvat
, noted economist and one of the few Croatian intellectuals to oppose dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia. In the early 1990s SDU was one of the few political parties to openly advocate co-operation and integration of Croatia with other republics of former Yugoslavia a view very different from the current Croatian political mainstream. On 1992 parliamentary elections it turned out that SDU nevertheless enjoyed some degree of support, especially among ethnic Serbs
living in government-controlled territories. Although it failed to break the 2% vote threshold of entry in to the Croatian Parliament, SDU could have hoped to win three seats by fulfilling the constitutional quota of ethnic Serbs in Sabor. Instead, the Croatian Constitutional Court
, in one of the most controversial decisions in their history, ruled that the seats should go to Serb People's Party
as an "ethnic party", and presumably the only true representative of ethnic Serb minority, despite the fact SNS won fewer votes than SDU.
SDU had some success in the local elections held a few months later, but the biggest boost came to them with parliamentary status gained when Vladimir Bebić, a colourful member of Sabor from Rijeka
, decided to join their ranks. Bebić, who enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the Croatian public, gradually became the party's leader. In the 1995 election he managed to increase SDU's vote margin, but with increased vote threshold (5%), SDU failed to enter Sabor. This, the appearance of more mainstream left-wing parties, and the establishment of a rejuvenated SDP as Croatia's main opposition party, led to SDU becoming more marginalised, struck with internal divisions and gradually phased out in late 1990s. After the Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
(SRP) was formed, many SDU members joined that organization.
SDU formed joint lists for local elections in 2005 with the SRP, the Green Party and the Green Left of Croatia, but failed to enter any of the regional assemblies.
The Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative was a leftist party formed in 2004 when a minority of less than a hundred members left the Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
. In the local elections in 2005, the party had a joint lists with the Social Democratic Party of Croatia
in the town of Glina
and with the Independent Democratic Serb Party in Sisak-Moslavina county
, where it gained one seat in the assembly.
The Green Left of Croatia was a leftist party formed in 2001 whose political platform was ecological socialism.
On the local elections in 2005, it formed a joint list with Social Democratic Union and two other green parties. Coalition got 0.39% vote in Zagreb. It ceased to exist in 2006 and in 2007 merged into the Left of Croatia.
parts of society. It considers the privatization
process in the nineties to be criminal and supports free education
and healthcare. Antifascism is declared to be one of basis of the party and it attended Josip Broz Tito
's birthday
celebration. The party claims to support small business
in competition with “foreign capital”. It also supports EU
and gay rights, and opposes NATO membership.
The Left aims to present itself as a strongly anti-corruption
party.
.
Before his death in 2009, a prominent leader was Vladimir Bebić, another former MP.
by two councillors and by three in assembly of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
. All were elected from the electoral list "Vladimir Bebić – Third Block list on the Croatian local election, 2005.
, the Party announced that it will have a joint list with Istrian Socialdemocratic Forum and Croatian Socialdemocrats in Istria
and Rijeka
.
The Left also announced a coalition with Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
one month before the elections.
for Zagreb local elections.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
with no parliamentary representation.
Origins
Left of Croatia was created in 2007 by the merger of several parties:- Vladimir Bebić – Third Block
- Green Left of Croatia
- Social Democratic Union
- Dalmatian Assembly
- Olive
- Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative
- Ivan Ninić, an SDPSocial Democratic Party of CroatiaSocial Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
dissidentDissidentA dissident, broadly defined, is a person who actively challenges an established doctrine, policy, or institution. When dissidents unite for a common cause they often effect a dissident movement....
The Social Democratic Union was founded in 1992, following Croatian independence, being one of very few political parties to identify itself as left-wing. Most of their members were former Communists or left-wingers displeased embracing Croatian nationalism, the excesses of privatisation and human rights abuses of ethnic minorities. The first leader of the party was Branko Horvat
Branko Horvat
Branko Horvat was a Croatian economist and politician. He worked a long time at the Institute of Economic Sciences, the former Planning Institute of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia...
, noted economist and one of the few Croatian intellectuals to oppose dissolution of SFR Yugoslavia. In the early 1990s SDU was one of the few political parties to openly advocate co-operation and integration of Croatia with other republics of former Yugoslavia a view very different from the current Croatian political mainstream. On 1992 parliamentary elections it turned out that SDU nevertheless enjoyed some degree of support, especially among ethnic Serbs
Serbs of Croatia
Višeslav of Serbia, a contemporary of Charlemagne , ruled the Županias of Neretva, Tara, Piva, Lim, his ancestral lands. According to the Royal Frankish Annals , Duke of Pannonia Ljudevit Posavski fled, during the Frankish invasion, from his seat in Sisak to the Serbs in western Bosnia, who...
living in government-controlled territories. Although it failed to break the 2% vote threshold of entry in to the Croatian Parliament, SDU could have hoped to win three seats by fulfilling the constitutional quota of ethnic Serbs in Sabor. Instead, the Croatian Constitutional Court
Croatian Constitutional Court
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia is the interpreter and guardian of the Croatian Constitution and considered the highest judicial authority de facto, because it can overturn Supreme Court decisions on the basis of constitutional breaches...
, in one of the most controversial decisions in their history, ruled that the seats should go to Serb People's Party
Serb People's Party (Croatia)
Serb People's Party is a political party that represents ethnic Serb minority in Croatia.The party was founded in early 1991 by ethnic Serb politicians opposed to the radical and secessionist policies of Republic of Serbian Krajina. As the conflict in Croatia escalated, SNS quickly found itself in...
as an "ethnic party", and presumably the only true representative of ethnic Serb minority, despite the fact SNS won fewer votes than SDU.
SDU had some success in the local elections held a few months later, but the biggest boost came to them with parliamentary status gained when Vladimir Bebić, a colourful member of Sabor from Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, decided to join their ranks. Bebić, who enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the Croatian public, gradually became the party's leader. In the 1995 election he managed to increase SDU's vote margin, but with increased vote threshold (5%), SDU failed to enter Sabor. This, the appearance of more mainstream left-wing parties, and the establishment of a rejuvenated SDP as Croatia's main opposition party, led to SDU becoming more marginalised, struck with internal divisions and gradually phased out in late 1990s. After the Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia is a far left Croatian political party with no parliamentary representation. It is often considered to be the leftmost of all registered parties in Croatian politics.-Ideology:...
(SRP) was formed, many SDU members joined that organization.
SDU formed joint lists for local elections in 2005 with the SRP, the Green Party and the Green Left of Croatia, but failed to enter any of the regional assemblies.
The Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative was a leftist party formed in 2004 when a minority of less than a hundred members left the Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia is a far left Croatian political party with no parliamentary representation. It is often considered to be the leftmost of all registered parties in Croatian politics.-Ideology:...
. In the local elections in 2005, the party had a joint lists with the Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
in the town of Glina
Glina, Croatia
Glina is a small town in central Croatia, located southwest of Petrinja and Sisak in the Sisak-Moslavina county. It lies on the eponymous river of Glina.-History:...
and with the Independent Democratic Serb Party in Sisak-Moslavina county
Sisak-Moslavina County
Sisak-Moslavina County is a Croatian county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. According to 2001 census it is inhabited by 185 thousand people....
, where it gained one seat in the assembly.
The Green Left of Croatia was a leftist party formed in 2001 whose political platform was ecological socialism.
On the local elections in 2005, it formed a joint list with Social Democratic Union and two other green parties. Coalition got 0.39% vote in Zagreb. It ceased to exist in 2006 and in 2007 merged into the Left of Croatia.
Ideology
The Party sees itself as the protector of the workers and other disadvantagedDisadvantaged
The "disadvantaged" is a generic term for individuals or groups of people who:* Face special problems such as physical or mental disability * Lack money or economic support....
parts of society. It considers the privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
process in the nineties to be criminal and supports free education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and healthcare. Antifascism is declared to be one of basis of the party and it attended Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
's birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
celebration. The party claims to support small business
Small business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
in competition with “foreign capital”. It also supports EU
Accession of Croatia to the European Union
Croatia applied for European Union membership in 2003, and the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004. Candidate country status was granted to Croatia by the European Council in mid-2004...
and gay rights, and opposes NATO membership.
The Left aims to present itself as a strongly anti-corruption
Anti-Corruption
Anti-Corruption is a 1975 Hong Kong film directed by Ng See Yuen and released under the Eternal Film banner.-External links:* Anti-Corruption at...
party.
Leadership
The Party is led by Croatian politician and former athlete Ivan Ninić, a former Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
.
Before his death in 2009, a prominent leader was Vladimir Bebić, another former MP.
Local representation
Ljevica was represented in the council of RijekaRijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
by two councillors and by three in assembly of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
Primorje-Gorski kotar County is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner and the surrounding Northern Croatian seacoast, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar...
. All were elected from the electoral list "Vladimir Bebić – Third Block list on the Croatian local election, 2005.
2007 elections
Soon after its founding congressCongress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
, the Party announced that it will have a joint list with Istrian Socialdemocratic Forum and Croatian Socialdemocrats in Istria
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
and Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
.
The Left also announced a coalition with Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia
Socialist Labour Party of Croatia is a far left Croatian political party with no parliamentary representation. It is often considered to be the leftmost of all registered parties in Croatian politics.-Ideology:...
one month before the elections.
2009 local elections
For the 2009 local elections in Rijeka, Ljevica joined with Independent Democratic Serb Party and with Women's Democratic PartyWomen's Democratic Party
Women's Democratic Party is a women's rights political organization founded in Zagreb in 2004. Party aims to represent the interests and concerns of women. The party allows male members....
for Zagreb local elections.
See also
- Hrvatska ljevica
- Novi PlamenNovi PlamenNovi Plamen is a left-wing magazine for political, social and cultural issues primarily aimed at intellectual audiences on the territory of the former Yugoslavia and the related diaspora. It is a leading publication of its kind in the region, published by the Demokratska misao publishing company...
- Social Democratic Party of CroatiaSocial Democratic Party of CroatiaSocial Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
- Socialist Labour Party of Croatia Socialist Labour Party of CroatiaSocialist Labour Party of Croatia is a far left Croatian political party with no parliamentary representation. It is often considered to be the leftmost of all registered parties in Croatian politics.-Ideology:...
- Socialist Party of CroatiaSocialist Party of CroatiaSocialist Party of Croatia is now defunct left-wing political party in Croatia....
- Social Democratic Union (Croatia)
- Social Democratic Action of CroatiaSocial Democratic Action of CroatiaSocial Democratic Action of Croatia is a Croatian left-wing political party.It was founded by 1994 by members of Social Democratic Party of Croatia dissatisfied with the centrist policies of SDP leader Ivica Račan and his lack of criticism towards Franjo Tuđman.The party had high hopes of...