Željko Kerum
Encyclopedia
Željko Kerum is a Croatia
n entrepreneur
and politician
. He ran for mayor of Split
, Croatia
in May 2009 and won 58.4% of the vote. He is also the owner of the Croatian supermarket chain Kerum.
Kerum was born in the village of Ogorje (part of Muć
) in the Dalmatian hinterland
. He graduated from the Technical High School in Split
, Croatia
in 1978. In 1981 he got his first job in the Split construction company Melioracija spending a year in Iraq
working on military bases. He founded the company Kerum in 1989, opening his first convenience store
in 1990. Six years later he opened his first supermarket
in the Lora neighborhood of Split. In 2003 he bought the Diokom industrial facilities (ex-Jugoplastika) and in 2007 he opened the Joker Shopping Mall, the largest in Dalmatia
.
In the first round of the 2009 elections for mayor of Split, Kerum (independent) won 40.21% of the popular vote, while his closest rival Ranko Ostojić
(SDP
) won 34.72%. On May 31, he won 58.42% of the vote, making him the incumbent mayor of Split.
In September 2009 there was a scandal in Croatia surrounding Kerum, because of his controversial quotes on the TV show Nedjeljom u 2 on national television channel HRT, where he said that "Serbs
and Montenegrins are no good nor can't do anything good." This was followed by words that are referred as hate speech
by many politicians around Croatia
, Serbia
and Montenegro
. He said he would never let a Serb marry his daughter, into his family. He also said that 70% of the journalists in Croatia were in fact Yugoslavs
, without a home (country), thus bringing so much misinformation, he had concluded this on the basis of surnames.
The public also resents Kerum because of his value inconsistency: although in his political programme he presented himself as a supporter of traditional values and a conservative world view, by divorce and extramarital affairs he is considered to have violated the principles that he espoused.
On January 16th 2011 the citizens of Split, on the initiative of an informal group of citizens gathered on Facebook
, protested at the Prva voda beach on the park mountain Marjan
in Split against a change of city urban planning regulation that allowed construction of restaurants and bars in the beach area. On this beach a company owned by his mistress Fani Horvat plans to build such an object, with the destruction of protected wood area. This scandal was also publicly perceived as a nepotistic and clientelistic favouring of his own interests. Kerum also caused notable controversy in split when he proposed to build a 40 meter tall statue of christ the redeemer.
Kerum has owned expensive cars including a Hummer
, a Mercedes S500, a BMW 7, a Maybach 62, a Ferrari F430
, and a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
. His Cessna Citation X
, a business jet
worth approximately US$ 17 million, is the most expensive privately owned aircraft in Croatia.
In 2011, he became a candidate in the Croatian parliamentary election, 2011 on the electoral list of the Croatian Democratic Union
.
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 entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He ran for mayor of Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
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 ...
in May 2009 and won 58.4% of the vote. He is also the owner of the Croatian supermarket chain Kerum.
Kerum was born in the village of Ogorje (part of Muć
MUC
The abbreviation MUC can stand for* The IATA airport code for Munich Airport* Mazharul Uloom College Ambur * Mindanao Undercurrent * Le Mans Union Club 72 * Minzu University of China* Montreal Urban Community...
) in the Dalmatian hinterland
Zagora (Croatia)
Zagora , sometimes also called Dalmatian Zagora , is the southern inland region of Croatia. The name Zagora means "behind hills", which is a reference to the fact that it is the part of Dalmatia that is not coastal....
. He graduated from the Technical High School in Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia
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 ...
in 1978. In 1981 he got his first job in the Split construction company Melioracija spending a year in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
working on military bases. He founded the company Kerum in 1989, opening his first convenience store
Convenience store
A convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
in 1990. Six years later he opened his first supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
in the Lora neighborhood of Split. In 2003 he bought the Diokom industrial facilities (ex-Jugoplastika) and in 2007 he opened the Joker Shopping Mall, the largest in Dalmatia
Dalmatia
Dalmatia is a historical region on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. It stretches from the island of Rab in the northwest to the Bay of Kotor in the southeast. The hinterland, the Dalmatian Zagora, ranges from fifty kilometers in width in the north to just a few kilometers in the south....
.
In the first round of the 2009 elections for mayor of Split, Kerum (independent) won 40.21% of the popular vote, while his closest rival Ranko Ostojić
Ranko Ostojić
Ranko Ostojić is a Croatian politician. He is a representative in the Croatian Parliament and also ran for mayor of Split, Croatia. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia...
(SDP
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...
) won 34.72%. On May 31, he won 58.42% of the vote, making him the incumbent mayor of Split.
In September 2009 there was a scandal in Croatia surrounding Kerum, because of his controversial quotes on the TV show Nedjeljom u 2 on national television channel HRT, where he said that "Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
and Montenegrins are no good nor can't do anything good." This was followed by words that are referred as hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
by many politicians around Croatia
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 ...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. He said he would never let a Serb marry his daughter, into his family. He also said that 70% of the journalists in Croatia were in fact Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs
Yugoslavs is a national designation used by a minority of South Slavs across the countries of the former Yugoslavia and in the diaspora...
, without a home (country), thus bringing so much misinformation, he had concluded this on the basis of surnames.
The public also resents Kerum because of his value inconsistency: although in his political programme he presented himself as a supporter of traditional values and a conservative world view, by divorce and extramarital affairs he is considered to have violated the principles that he espoused.
On January 16th 2011 the citizens of Split, on the initiative of an informal group of citizens gathered on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, protested at the Prva voda beach on the park mountain Marjan
Marjan
Marjan is a hill on the peninsula of the city of Split, largest city of Croatia's Dalmatia region. It is covered in a dense Mediterranean pine forest and completely surrounded by the city and the sea, making it a unique sight. Originally used as a park by the citizens as early as the 3rd century,...
in Split against a change of city urban planning regulation that allowed construction of restaurants and bars in the beach area. On this beach a company owned by his mistress Fani Horvat plans to build such an object, with the destruction of protected wood area. This scandal was also publicly perceived as a nepotistic and clientelistic favouring of his own interests. Kerum also caused notable controversy in split when he proposed to build a 40 meter tall statue of christ the redeemer.
Kerum has owned expensive cars including a Hummer
Hummer
Hummer was a brand of trucks and SUVs, first marketed in 1992 when AM General began selling a civilian version of the M998 Humvee. In 1998, General Motors purchased the brand name and marketed three vehicles: the original Hummer H1, based on the Humvee; and the H2 and H3 models that were...
, a Mercedes S500, a BMW 7, a Maybach 62, a Ferrari F430
Ferrari F430
The Ferrari F430 is a sports car that was produced by the Italian automaker Ferrari from 2004 to 2009, as a successor to the 360. It debuted at the 2004 Paris Motor Show...
, and a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano
The 599 GTB Fiorano is an Italian gran turismo produced by Ferrari. It is the brand's two-seat flagship, replacing the 575 M Maranello in 2006 as a 2007 model....
. His Cessna Citation X
Cessna Citation X
The Cessna Citation X is a long-range medium business jet aircraft. The Citation X is powered by two Rolls-Royce turbofan engines and is built by the Cessna Aircraft Company in Wichita, Kansas. It is the fastest production civilian jet in the world. The Citation brand of business jets encompasses...
, a business jet
Business jet
Business jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of up to 19 business people or wealthy individuals...
worth approximately US$ 17 million, is the most expensive privately owned aircraft in Croatia.
In 2011, he became a candidate in the Croatian parliamentary election, 2011 on the electoral list of the Croatian Democratic Union
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
.