Croatian Democratic Union

The Croatian Democratic Union (Croatian: Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica, HDZ), is a major Croatian political party. The HDZ has been the ruling party in Croatia between 1990 and 2000 and since 2003.

Related Topics:
Croatian - Croatia

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The party is a member of the European People's Party, a faction in the European Parliament, even though Croatia is still negotiating its entry into the European Union.

Related Topics:
European People's Party - European Parliament - European Union

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The HDZ was founded in June 1989 by Croatian nationalist dissidents led by Franjo Tu?man. When the party was founded, multi-party system in Croatia is in embryonic stage and open manifestations of nationalism were frowned upon. HDZ was founded in almost conspiratorial manner, and its first offices were in one Zagreb shack. Because of that party founders proudly call themselves baraka?i - from "baraka", which is Croatian word for "shack".

Related Topics:
1989 - Nationalist - Franjo Tu?man

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Despite such humble beginnings, the party quickly benefited from the loosening of Communist grip on Croatia. Tu?man and other HDZ officials traveled abroad and gathered large financial contributions from Croatian expatriates. Many of those expatriates had extremist views, displaying favourable opinion of Independent State of Croatia and Ustashe ideology, and this, in return, reflected on HDZ political platform, which, among other things, called for establishment of "Croatia in its historical and natural borders" - euphemism for Croatia that would have border on river Drina and include Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as sections of today's Serbia-Montenegro.

Related Topics:
Independent State of Croatia - Ustashe - Bosnia-Herzegovina - Serbia-Montenegro

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In the eve of 1990 elections, ruling Croatian Communist Party saw such tendencies within HDZ as an opportunity to remain in power. Voting system was tailored to favour two strongest parties and it was assumed that Croatian voters would opt for ruling Communists, rebranded in to Social Democratic Party of Croatia, as lesser evil than HDZ which was described as "party of dangerous intentions". On the elections this proved to be miscalculation, because Croatian people saw the very extremism of HDZ not only as the way to get rid of Communism and Yugoslavia, but also as the proper answer to rampaging Serb nationalism embodied by Slobodan Milo?evi?. HDZ won majority in Croatian Parliament and Croatia became one of few countries of Eastern Europe where the single party rule of Communists was replaced by single party rule of anti-Communists. May 30th 1990 - the day HDZ formally took power was later marked by Statehood Day - a public holiday in Croatia.

Related Topics:
1990 elections - Croatian Communist Party - Social Democratic Party of Croatia - Yugoslavia - Slobodan Milo?evi?

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The presidential elections ensued in 1992 and Tu?man, who would remain as undisputed party leader until his death in 1999, was elected the president.

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The party ruled Croatia throughout the 1990s and under its leadership, Croatia became independent (1991) and subsequently internationally recognised (1992), as well as consolidated all of its pre-war territory (by 1998). During that period HDZ had its power confirmed on 1992 and 1995 parliamentary elections.

Related Topics:
1990s - 1991 - 1992 - 1998

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As it was a strong advocate of the Croatian independence, the HDZ has been quite unpopular with the members of Serbian minority who have largely opposed Croatia's independence wanting to see Croatia remain inside the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This was one of the factors contributing to creation of Republic of Serbian Krajina and subsequent armed conflict that would spill out in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina. Exact role of HDZ in those events is matter of controversy, even in Croatia where some tend to view HDZ policy in early stages of the conflict as extremist and contributing factor to the escalation of violence, while others see HDZ as too appeasing to Serbia and Yugoslav People's Army, and therefore, responsible for Croatia not being properly prepared for defence. It should be noted that Tu?man's and HDZ policies shifted according to the circumstances and that even some more controversial among them could be properly judged only in its historic, economic, military and political context.

Related Topics:
Croatia - Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - Republic of Serbian Krajina - Serbia - Yugoslav People's Army

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HDZ also led Croatia through the process of political and economic transition between communism and capitalism. Notably, the HDZ governments implemented privatization in the country, in a manner which the critics consider suboptimal.

Related Topics:
Political and economic transition - Privatization

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The goal of the suboptimal process, as stated publicly by Franjo Tu?man, was to create a core of 200 Croatian families who would leverage the majority of Croatia's wealth. The plan, unsurprisingly, failed miserably on its economics, but it proved a useful distraction from dealing with the baggage of post-WWII communist nationalizations. In fact it was the conservative HDZ which in 1992 enacted into law the right of corporations (the vast majority of which were under state ownership) the right to finally formally register themselves as owners of nationalized property thus completing the process of nationalization started by the communist regime after WWII.

Related Topics:
Nationalization - Corporation

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Many tycoons emerged in a pattern of state-sponsored loans brokered by HDZ's influence, with the purpose of dissolving the state of ownership and accountability to the public of the campaign financing by companies privatized in this way. It is worth pointing out that this model was not abused only by the HDZ but by other political parties in Croatia as well, albeit their share in the privatization was barely significant.

Related Topics:
Tycoon - Accountability

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Also, not all of the nationalized property was sanctioned this way: the property of those who could lobby the HDZ or had substantial influence in Croatian politics was returned without much delay. Notable examples of this class are possessions nationalized from the Catholic Church or widely known individuals such as Mr. Gavrilovi?, owner of a major meat-producing factory.

Related Topics:
Lobby - Catholic Church

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In terms of ideology, HDZ leaders at first liked to describe their party as right-wing, and Tu?man himself stated that he was inspired by Thatcherism. Later, the party liked to describe itself as centre-right and Christian Democrat. However, the only official ideology was national reconciliation - idea that descendants of Croatian Partisans and Ustashas should patch differences between their ancestors and work together in order to create modern, independent and democratic Croatia. In practice, this policy was an excuse for rehabilitation and implicit justification of Ustasha ideology, especially after powerful defence minister Gojko ?u?ak, the head of HDZ hardline faction, won Tu?man's favour. Stjepan Mesi? and Josip Manoli?, Tu?man's associates opposed to such tendencies, left the party in 1994 and formed Croatian Independent Democrats. Those tendencies were gradually toned down after the end of war and HDZ, concerned with more mundane aspects of politics, became mainly social conservative party.

Related Topics:
Right-wing - Thatcherism - Centre-right - Christian Democrat - National reconciliation - Partisans - Gojko ?u?ak - Stjepan Mesi? - Josip Manoli? - Croatian Independent Democrats - Social conservative

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The end of war and reintegration of Croatian territory also switched Croatian people's attention from independence and foreign relations to more mundane issues of economy and living standard. In late 1990s this coincided with Tu?man's illness, which sparked bitter succession struggle between various factions within HDZ. Those factions fought by using friendly media and leaking compromising information about opponents' role in shadier aspects of privatisation. This,as well as Tu?man's mishandling of Zagreb Crisis, did much to undermine HDZ popularity.

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All this, together with Tu?man's death in December 1999, had an impact on 2000 parliamentary election. Although HDZ remained the strongest political party in the country, it was thoroughly defeated by left-centre coalition of six opposition parties and many saw large turnout as referendum against HDZ, just as 1990 elections were seen as referendum against Communism and Yugoslavia. This impression was underlined with subsequent presidential election, when HDZ's presidential candidate Mate Grani?, heavily favoured to win, finished 3rd and failed to enter second round of vote, ultimately won by Stipe Mesi?.

Related Topics:
Parliamentary election - Presidential election - Mate Grani? - Stipe Mesi?

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In the period between 2000 and 2003, several businessmen who became tycoons under the initial HDZ rule were trialled and incarcerated for alleged abuses, though in general the privatization process implemented by the HDZ wasn't significantly altered.

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This period proved to be low point of HDZ and many thought that party couldn't recover. Those included Mate Grani?, who would, together with Vesna ?kare O?bolt, leave party and form centre-right Democratic Centre (DC).

Related Topics:
Vesna ?kare O?bolt - Democratic Centre

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HDZ began its recovery when ICTY began to prosecute Croatian Army generals for alleged war crimes, thus creating major backlash among Croatian public. Popular discontent manifested itself in mass rallies. Although HDZ and its new leader Ivo Sanader took part in those events and supported protesters' cause, they gradually began to distance themselves from the more extreme rhetoric, being perceived as moderates. This tendency continued with Croatian Social Liberal Party shifting rightwards, making Sanader's HDZ look centrist in comparison. This process was finalised in 2002 when Ivi? Pa?ali?, leader of HDZ hardliners and figure perceived to be associated with the worst excesses of Tu?man's era, challenged Sanader for party leadership, accusing him of betraying Tu?man's nationalist legacy. At first it looked that Sanader would lose, but with the help of Branimir Glava? and tacit support of liberal sections of Croatian public, he won the party convention. Pa?ali? soon left HDZ in order to form new Croatian Bloc party.

Related Topics:
ICTY - Croatian Army - Ivo Sanader - Croatian Social Liberal Party - Ivi? Pa?ali? - Branimir Glava? - Croatian Bloc

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This allowed Sanader to present HDZ as "reformed" party purged of the more controversial aspects of Tu?man legacy and convince public that its eventual return to power wouldn't jeopardise democratic standards of Croatia. As such, HDZ started to be perceived as credible democratic alternative to the government of Ivica Ra?an, plagued by indecision, inefficiency, corruption and factional struggles.

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At the last legislative elections of November 2003, the party won 33.9 % of the popular vote and 66 out of 151 seats. Although it failed to win clear majority in Croatian Parliament, even with the help of their allies DC and HSLS, it formed the government with the support of ethnic minority representatives, Independent Democratic Serbian Party and nominally left-wing Croatian Party of Pensioners.

Related Topics:
Legislative elections of November 2003 - Croatian Parliament - Independent Democratic Serbian Party - Croatian Party of Pensioners

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With such broad and diverse mandate, Sanader-led government vigourously pursued policies that amounted to the implementation of the basic criteria for joining the European Union, such as the return of refugees to their homes, rebuilding houses damaged in the war, improving minority rights by including minority representatives in the government, cooperating with the ICTY, and continuing to consolidate the Croatian economy. Despite this the EU's Council of Ministers postponed Croatia's start of membership negotiations with the union on grounds of non-cooperation with the Hague Tribunal over the case of indicted general Gotovina who still remains at large.

Related Topics:
European Union - Gotovina

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This setback reflected itself in the palpable rise of Eurosceptic views in Croatian public, which also affected HDZ. Since Croatian accession to EU is cornerstone of Sanader's reformist course, the opposition to Sanader within and outside HDZ is on the rise. This process manifested itself on 2005 local elections and with defection of Glava?, who not only successfully challenged Sanader's authority but also managed to, at least nominally, deprive Sanader of his parliamentary majority.

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