Ljubo Cesic Rojs
Encyclopedia
Ljubo Ćesić best known by his nickname Rojs, is a Croatia
n right-wing politician.
, Ljubo Ćesić came to public spotlight during the 1990s wars in Croatia
(Croatian war of independence
and Bosnia-Herzegovina
) as the commander of the 66th Engineering
Regiment
of the Croatian Army. His unit built mountain roads on the border between the two countries, which ultimately allowed Croatian Army to outflank Krajina
and Bosnian Serb forces during and after Operation Storm
in 1995. For his exploits, Ćesić was promoted to the rank of general
.
His critics often point out the fact that before the war, he was a bus driver, becoming the official driver of the minister of defence Gojko Šušak
in 1991, following which he was given a military command despite lack of qualification.
. In the late 1990s he was one of the most recognisable, most outspoken, most hardline and ultimately most controversial high-level members of that party.
He was also involved in several scandals concerning the funding of a Zagreb football club, Hrvatski Dragovoljac. He was accused of laundering
several million kuna of Croatia's Defence Ministry along with his close friend Stjepan Spajić through the club by purchasing several million plastic cups. The allegations are not being investigated as Spajić died in 2004.
and the new centrist course of HDZ. He nevertheless formally remained in the party, while he kept himself in the public spotlight with a series of statements that were as colorful as they were controversial. One example was his public offer to George W. Bush
to volunteer in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
. One of his controversial public appearances was a fight with fellow Sabor member Dino Debeljuh, which ended with Ljubo Ćesić's exclusion from that day's Sabor's session.
In the 2005 Croatian presidential election
he ran as an independent candidate. During the campaign he claimed to be in contact with the renegade general Ante Gotovina
. A subsequent police inquiry into that statement was ultimately inconsequential. Ćesić finished 6th in the first round with 1.85% of the votes cast.
After his self-styled successful political career he started appearing in numerous comedy shows on Croatian television such as Robert Knjaz's Mjenjačnica, in which two or more celebrities exchange lives with each other for a brief period of time. In the episode where he appeared, his companion was Croatia's most famous and controversial stylist Neven Ciganović.
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 right-wing politician.
Military service
A native of HerzegovinaHerzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
, Ljubo Ćesić came to public spotlight during the 1990s wars in 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 ...
(Croatian war of independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
and Bosnia-Herzegovina
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War or the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between April 1992 and December 1995. The war involved several sides...
) as the commander of the 66th Engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
Regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
of the Croatian Army. His unit built mountain roads on the border between the two countries, which ultimately allowed Croatian Army to outflank Krajina
RSK
RSK may stand for:* Republic of Serbian Krajina* Robinson–Schensted–Knuth algorithm, between biwords and pairs of tableaux* Ribosomal s6 kinase, in molecular biology, a signal transducer* Sanyo Broadcasting, a Japanese radio and TV station...
and Bosnian Serb forces during and after Operation Storm
Operation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
in 1995. For his exploits, Ćesić was promoted to the rank of general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
.
His critics often point out the fact that before the war, he was a bus driver, becoming the official driver of the minister of defence Gojko Šušak
Gojko Šušak
Gojko Šušak was the Croatian Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998. A Bosnian Croat emigreé to Canada, he entered the political life of Croat diaspora in North America, subsequently becoming a close friend and associate to Franjo Tuđman, the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union, a nationalistic...
in 1991, following which he was given a military command despite lack of qualification.
Post-war
His post-war activities like the use of his unit for civilian contracts and the alleged breach of labour and other laws didn't prevent Ćesić from rising just as quickly in the ranks of the Croatian Democratic UnionCroatian 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...
. In the late 1990s he was one of the most recognisable, most outspoken, most hardline and ultimately most controversial high-level members of that party.
He was also involved in several scandals concerning the funding of a Zagreb football club, Hrvatski Dragovoljac. He was accused of laundering
Laundering
Laundering can refer to:*Money laundering, disguising the origin of illegally gained wealth*Policy laundering, disguising the origin of legislation*Clothes laundering, washing clothes...
several million kuna of Croatia's Defence Ministry along with his close friend Stjepan Spajić through the club by purchasing several million plastic cups. The allegations are not being investigated as Spajić died in 2004.
Political activities
In the early 2000s while a member of Sabor he began to gradually distance himself from Ivo SanaderIvo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
and the new centrist course of HDZ. He nevertheless formally remained in the party, while he kept himself in the public spotlight with a series of statements that were as colorful as they were controversial. One example was his public offer to George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
to volunteer in the 2003 invasion of Iraq
2003 invasion of Iraq
The 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
. One of his controversial public appearances was a fight with fellow Sabor member Dino Debeljuh, which ended with Ljubo Ćesić's exclusion from that day's Sabor's session.
In the 2005 Croatian presidential election
Croatian presidential election, 2005
The fourth presidential elections in Croatia took place in two rounds in January 2005.-Background:The State Elections Committee published a list of candidates on 15 December 2004. President Stjepan Mesić stood for re-election, and the governing HDZ nominated cabinet minister Jadranka Kosor...
he ran as an independent candidate. During the campaign he claimed to be in contact with the renegade general Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina
Ante Gotovina is a former Senior Corporal of the French Foreign Legion and former Lieutenant General of the Croatian Army who served in the Croatian War for Independence...
. A subsequent police inquiry into that statement was ultimately inconsequential. Ćesić finished 6th in the first round with 1.85% of the votes cast.
After his self-styled successful political career he started appearing in numerous comedy shows on Croatian television such as Robert Knjaz's Mjenjačnica, in which two or more celebrities exchange lives with each other for a brief period of time. In the episode where he appeared, his companion was Croatia's most famous and controversial stylist Neven Ciganović.