Zagreb Crisis
Encyclopedia
The Zagreb crisis is the name used to describe a political crisis that followed the elections for the City of Zagreb
local assembly held in October 1995. During the crisis the winning parties were unable to appoint their candidate for Mayor of Zagreb because the President of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman, refused to provide the formal confirmation of their decision.
A centre-left coalition of winning parties continued to hold majority in the local assembly during the crisis and continued to suggest other candidates, but they were all eventually turned down by the President as Croatian law at the time required a formal Presidential confirmation of the appointment. Meanwhile, the city was run by the government-appointed acting mayor, which meant that the city de facto had two parallel administrations. The situation led to several huge protests and was not resolved until the next local elections in April 1997, after which two opposition members of the assembly switched to Tuđman's Croatian Democratic Union
(HDZ) party. This meant that HDZ finally succeeded in gaining the majority in the 50-seat assembly, which enabled the party to appoint their mayor, who was afterwards approved by Tuđman.
(HDZ). In 1993 the former Prime Minister Josip Manolić
, head of security services and leader of HDZ party moderates has gradually fell out of favour with President Franjo Tuđman, whose became increasingly aligned with extreme nationalists led by Defence Minister Gojko Šušak
. In the spring of 1994, when it became apparent that Manolić would lose his post of Speaker of the Chamber of Counties (the short-lived upper house body in the Croatian Parliament), him and Stjepan Mesić
, who was at the time Speaker of Parliament, organized a mass defection of HDZ members of parliament who formed a new party called Croatian Independent Democrats
(HND), hoping to strip Tuđman of majority in the parliament. The attempt ultimately failed and Tuđman's party eventually managed to maintain power on the national level. However, in a number of local and regional assemblies the defection of HDZ members allowed opposition parties to gain majorities.
One of these was the Zagreb County
Assembly. For Tuđman this apparently represented an embarrassing setback that he had to revert in any way possible. He initiated legislation aimed at merging the two county-level administrative units (the Zagreb County
and City of Zagreb
) which would then require a new election for the enlarged assembly. The idea was to drown the opposition-controlled Zagreb County assembly with votes from the City of Zagreb constituency, which was at the time widely perceived as a solid HDZ stronghold.
. It was believed that the national euphoria following Operation Storm
and Croatian military successes in the last stages of the still-ongoing Bosnian War
, together with a massive propaganda
drive supported by the state-controlled media, would lead to Tuđman's party comfortably winning majority in the new assembly.
Although the first election results had showed HDZ gaining ground in rural areas of the former Zagreb County, opposition parties managed to achieve success in urban areas of Zagreb proper. This was very apparent in the blue-collar neighborhoods which switching their preferences from HDZ to the Social Democratic Party of Croatia
(SDP), mostly due to populist rhetoric of Zdravko Tomac
and organizational abilities of Milan Bandić
. As a result, HDZ lost the elections for the new Zagreb assembly, and Zdravko Tomac became the Speaker of the Assembly.
Soon afterwards, opposition parties formed a governing coalition which elected a member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party
(HSLS) for mayor.
. This was seen as a mere formality, because Tuđman had already made a precedent by confirming opposition prefects following the disastrous defeat of his party in the 1993 local elections in Istria County
.
However, in Zagreb, President Tuđman surprised many by claiming that he would not allow an "opposition situation" in the Croatian capital. He refused to confirm the opposition mayor (Goran Granić
), which led to the Government of Croatia
appointing a former city administration official Marina Matulović-Dropulić
to manage the city.
The Zagreb assembly then refused to acknowledge Matulović-Dropulić as mayor, but with Tuđman's apparent refusal to confirm an opposition candidate, they were unable to appoint their own. Throughout the following 18 months, three more opposition candidates (Jozo Radoš
, Ivo Škrabalo
and Dražen Budiša
) from HSLS were appointed mayors by the Zagreb assembly, only to be denied thre required confirmation by the President. A plan to appoint Ante Ledić
, a businessman with strong links to HDZ, which was seen as a compromise solution, also failed. In the meantime, Matulović-Dropulić continued to run city affairs.
In November 1996, more than a year after the elections, and with the crisis still going on, the Croatian government decided not to renew the broadcast license
to Radio 101
, a popular local radio station known for vocal criticism of the ruling regime, and gave it to Ninoslav Pavić
, a media tycoon widely perceived to be rather tolerant to the regime. The announcement of the decision sparked a spontaneous protest of citizens of Zagreb and around 120,000 people gathered at Ban Jelačić Square
, in one of the largest single protests in recent Croatian history.
Although the immediate cause was the desire to preserve a popular symbol of the city - an aim which they ultimately achieved - many protesters used the protest as an opportunity to express disagreement with Tuđman and his authoritarian policies, who was at the time out of the country, undergoing stomach cancer
treatment at the Walter Reed Hospital
in Washington
. Upon hearing what was going on, Tuđman reportedly ordered the police to take action against protesters. The then Interior Minister
Ivan Jarnjak reportedly refused to do so, which resulted in his resignation. Following the protests, Radio 101 managed to retain its independence and broadcast license. After returning to Croatia Tuđman made statements attacked the protests, calling his opponents "green and yellow devils" and accusing them of being foreign mercenaries and traitors who sold out for money.
The regular City of Zagreb local elections were then held in April 1997. This time the opposition parties ran on their separate tickets, thus allowing HDZ to win 24 out of 50 seats. When two representatives of the Croatian Peasant Party
(HSS) switched to HDZ in exchange for lucrative government posts, HDZ finally gained an absolute majority in the assembly, which enabled them to legally appoint Marina Matulović-Dropulić as mayor. This formally ended the crisis.
However, in 1998 a mass rally was called once again by the unions at the city's main square. This time the reason for the rally was a drastic drop in the standard of living. The police, however, refused to issue the required permit for the gathering to take place, and police forces cordoned off the square to prevent protesters from reaching it. For several hours, angry citizens attempted to push back the police cordons, but were unsuccessful. The media attention focused on the event, further promoting the idea that Tuđman's rule was increasingly authoritarian instead of democratic. Tuđman commented on all of these events yet again, by calling the people involved in them "small-time cattle
" ("stoka sitnog zuba").
in which HDZ had lost power on the national level, the new centre-left government of Ivica Račan
called for a special local by-election in Zagreb, which ultimately resulted in SDP's landslide victory and Milan Bandić
becoming mayor.
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
local assembly held in October 1995. During the crisis the winning parties were unable to appoint their candidate for Mayor of Zagreb because the President of Croatia, Franjo Tuđman, refused to provide the formal confirmation of their decision.
A centre-left coalition of winning parties continued to hold majority in the local assembly during the crisis and continued to suggest other candidates, but they were all eventually turned down by the President as Croatian law at the time required a formal Presidential confirmation of the appointment. Meanwhile, the city was run by the government-appointed acting mayor, which meant that the city de facto had two parallel administrations. The situation led to several huge protests and was not resolved until the next local elections in April 1997, after which two opposition members of the assembly switched to Tuđman's 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...
(HDZ) party. This meant that HDZ finally succeeded in gaining the majority in the 50-seat assembly, which enabled the party to appoint their mayor, who was afterwards approved by Tuđman.
Background
The crisis had its origin in the factional struggle within the ruling party of Croatia at the time, 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...
(HDZ). In 1993 the former Prime Minister Josip Manolić
Josip Manolic
Josip Manolić is a Croatian politician who was one of the most important public figures in 1990s Croatia. He was prime minister of the Republic of Croatia from August 24, 1990 to July 17, 1991.-Background and political career:...
, head of security services and leader of HDZ party moderates has gradually fell out of favour with President Franjo Tuđman, whose became increasingly aligned with extreme nationalists led by Defence Minister 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 the spring of 1994, when it became apparent that Manolić would lose his post of Speaker of the Chamber of Counties (the short-lived upper house body in the Croatian Parliament), him and Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan Mesić
Stjepan "Stipe" Mesić is a Croatian politician and former President of Croatia. Before his ten-year presidential term between 2000 and 2010 he held the posts of Speaker of the Croatian Parliament , Prime Minister of Croatia , the last President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia , Secretary General...
, who was at the time Speaker of Parliament, organized a mass defection of HDZ members of parliament who formed a new party called Croatian Independent Democrats
Croatian Independent Democrats
Croatian Independent Democrats was a political party in Croatia.-History:Its founders were members of moderate faction within Croatian Democratic Union...
(HND), hoping to strip Tuđman of majority in the parliament. The attempt ultimately failed and Tuđman's party eventually managed to maintain power on the national level. However, in a number of local and regional assemblies the defection of HDZ members allowed opposition parties to gain majorities.
One of these was the Zagreb County
Zagreb County
Zagreb County is a county in central Croatia. It surrounds – but does not contain – the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, it is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring"...
Assembly. For Tuđman this apparently represented an embarrassing setback that he had to revert in any way possible. He initiated legislation aimed at merging the two county-level administrative units (the Zagreb County
Zagreb County
Zagreb County is a county in central Croatia. It surrounds – but does not contain – the nation's capital Zagreb, which is a separate territorial unit. For that reason, it is often nicknamed "Zagreb ring"...
and City of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
) which would then require a new election for the enlarged assembly. The idea was to drown the opposition-controlled Zagreb County assembly with votes from the City of Zagreb constituency, which was at the time widely perceived as a solid HDZ stronghold.
1995 election
The new law was passed and the date for the new by-election was called for 29 October 1995, coinciding with the general electionsCroatian parliamentary election, 1995
-Subsequent changes:The following changes happened after elections:*The Croatian Pure Party of Rights gained one member of parliament*The Croatian Christian Democratic Union gained one more member of parliament*The Serb People's Party lost one member of parliament...
. It was believed that the national euphoria following 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...
and Croatian military successes in the last stages of the still-ongoing Bosnian War
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...
, together with a massive propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
drive supported by the state-controlled media, would lead to Tuđman's party comfortably winning majority in the new assembly.
Although the first election results had showed HDZ gaining ground in rural areas of the former Zagreb County, opposition parties managed to achieve success in urban areas of Zagreb proper. This was very apparent in the blue-collar neighborhoods which switching their preferences from HDZ to 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...
(SDP), mostly due to populist rhetoric of Zdravko Tomac
Zdravko Tomac
Zdravko Tomac is a Croatian politician.A native of Slavonski Brod, Zdravko Tomac began his political career in Communist Party of Yugoslavia. There he rose through the ranks, becoming close associate of Jakov Blažević...
and organizational abilities of Milan Bandić
Milan Bandic
Milan Bandić is an influential Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as mayor of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for party president. However, he remained one of...
. As a result, HDZ lost the elections for the new Zagreb assembly, and Zdravko Tomac became the Speaker of the Assembly.
Soon afterwards, opposition parties formed a governing coalition which elected a member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party
Croatian Social Liberal Party
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS is a conservative liberal political party in Croatia. The party is a member of Liberal International and the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party. Its current president is Darinko Kosor, elected to that post in November 2009.-Chronology:The HSLS was...
(HSLS) for mayor.
The crisis
Croatian legislation at the time stipulated that the mayor of Zagreb had the status equal to a county prefect (župan), and as such his appointment had to be confirmed by the President of CroatiaPresident of Croatia
The President of Croatia , officially styled the President of the Republic represents the Republic of Croatia in the country and abroad as the head of state, maintains the regular and coordinated operation and stability of the national government system, and safeguards the independence and...
. This was seen as a mere formality, because Tuđman had already made a precedent by confirming opposition prefects following the disastrous defeat of his party in the 1993 local elections in Istria County
Istria County
Istria County is the westernmost county of Croatia which includes the biggest part of the Istrian peninsula . The area of the county is called Istra in Croatian and Slovene...
.
However, in Zagreb, President Tuđman surprised many by claiming that he would not allow an "opposition situation" in the Croatian capital. He refused to confirm the opposition mayor (Goran Granić
Goran Granic
Goran Granić is a Croatian centre-left politician who was the deputy prime minister from 2000 to 2002.From 1995-1996, Granić was selected as mayor of Zagreb by his party that won the local elections...
), which led to the Government of Croatia
Government of Croatia
The Government of the Republic of Croatia , commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government , is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. It is led by the President of the Government , commonly abbreviated to premier...
appointing a former city administration official Marina Matulović-Dropulić
Marina Matulovic-Dropulic
Marina Matulović-Dropulić is a Croatian politician, member of the Croatian Democratic Union.Matulović-Dropulić served as the mayor of Zagreb in two mandates - first an appointment for a couple of months in 1996 during the Zagreb Crisis, and again after the 1997 elections, until 2000.In the 2000...
to manage the city.
The Zagreb assembly then refused to acknowledge Matulović-Dropulić as mayor, but with Tuđman's apparent refusal to confirm an opposition candidate, they were unable to appoint their own. Throughout the following 18 months, three more opposition candidates (Jozo Radoš
Jozo Radoš
Jozo Radoš is a Croatian centre-left politician, currently a prominent member of the Croatian People's Party - Liberal Democrats.In the 1990s he was a member of the Croatian Social Liberal Party ....
, Ivo Škrabalo
Ivo Škrabalo
Ivo Škrabalo was a Croatian film critic, screenwriter, and member of parliament.Škrabalo was born in Sombor, where he finished elementary and high school before moving to Zagreb in 1952...
and Dražen Budiša
Dražen Budiša
Dražen Budiša is a Croatian politician who used to be leading opposition figure in the 1990s and a two-time presidential candidate.-During Yugoslavia:...
) from HSLS were appointed mayors by the Zagreb assembly, only to be denied thre required confirmation by the President. A plan to appoint Ante Ledić
Ante Ledic
Ante Ledić is a Croatian businessman, politician from and vice-president of Croatian Demochristian Party.In his youth, Ledić was a Yugoslav champion and national record holder in long jump and decathlon...
, a businessman with strong links to HDZ, which was seen as a compromise solution, also failed. In the meantime, Matulović-Dropulić continued to run city affairs.
Protests and resolution
The spectacle of the nation's capital having two administrations not recognizing each other and the country's leader refusing to acknowledge the will of the voters led many to believe that Croatia had experienced a dramatic drop in democratic standards during the war, and that this state of affairs will not be alleviated for as long of Tuđman was in power. Paranoid statements made by Tuđman, who increasingly began to describe opposition and its supporters as "foreign agents" and "enemies of the state" also contributed to that assessment.In November 1996, more than a year after the elections, and with the crisis still going on, the Croatian government decided not to renew the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
to Radio 101
Radio 101 (Croatia)
Radio 101 - Independent radio station, with alternative and latest music and breaking news in Croatia. It broadcasts from Zagreb and has a regional license for the City of Zagreb and the Zagreb County, an audience of about 1,200,000 people. It is one of the most popular radio stations in Zagreb...
, a popular local radio station known for vocal criticism of the ruling regime, and gave it to Ninoslav Pavić
Ninoslav Pavic
Ninoslav Pavić, aka Nino Pavic, is the founder and publisher of Europapress Holding, the largest media company in Southeast Europe.-Attempted Assassination:...
, a media tycoon widely perceived to be rather tolerant to the regime. The announcement of the decision sparked a spontaneous protest of citizens of Zagreb and around 120,000 people gathered at Ban Jelačić Square
Ban Jelacic Square
Ban Jelačić Square is the central square of the city of Zagreb, Croatia, named after ban Josip Jelačić. The official name is Trg bana Jelačića...
, in one of the largest single protests in recent Croatian history.
Although the immediate cause was the desire to preserve a popular symbol of the city - an aim which they ultimately achieved - many protesters used the protest as an opportunity to express disagreement with Tuđman and his authoritarian policies, who was at the time out of the country, undergoing stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
treatment at the Walter Reed Hospital
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
The Walter Reed Army Medical Center was the United States Army's flagship medical center until 2011. Located on 113 acres in Washington, D.C., it served more than 150,000 active and retired personnel from all branches of the military...
in Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. Upon hearing what was going on, Tuđman reportedly ordered the police to take action against protesters. The then Interior Minister
Ministry of the Interior (Croatia)
The Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia is the ministry in the Government of Croatia which is in charge of state security among other roles...
Ivan Jarnjak reportedly refused to do so, which resulted in his resignation. Following the protests, Radio 101 managed to retain its independence and broadcast license. After returning to Croatia Tuđman made statements attacked the protests, calling his opponents "green and yellow devils" and accusing them of being foreign mercenaries and traitors who sold out for money.
The regular City of Zagreb local elections were then held in April 1997. This time the opposition parties ran on their separate tickets, thus allowing HDZ to win 24 out of 50 seats. When two representatives of the Croatian Peasant Party
Croatian Peasant Party
The Croatian Peasant Party is a center and socially conservative political party in Croatia.-Austria-Hungary:The Croatian People's Peasant Party was formed on December 22, 1904 by Antun Radić along with his brother Stjepan Radić. The party contested elections for the first time in the Kingdom of...
(HSS) switched to HDZ in exchange for lucrative government posts, HDZ finally gained an absolute majority in the assembly, which enabled them to legally appoint Marina Matulović-Dropulić as mayor. This formally ended the crisis.
However, in 1998 a mass rally was called once again by the unions at the city's main square. This time the reason for the rally was a drastic drop in the standard of living. The police, however, refused to issue the required permit for the gathering to take place, and police forces cordoned off the square to prevent protesters from reaching it. For several hours, angry citizens attempted to push back the police cordons, but were unsuccessful. The media attention focused on the event, further promoting the idea that Tuđman's rule was increasingly authoritarian instead of democratic. Tuđman commented on all of these events yet again, by calling the people involved in them "small-time cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
" ("stoka sitnog zuba").
Aftermath
In spite of the crisis' formal resolution in 1997, most citizens of Zagreb and large parts of the Croatian public refused to acknowledge the new administration, considering the crisis an ongoing event. In May 2000, four months after the January general electionsCroatian parliamentary election, 2000
Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament were held on January 3, 2000. These were the first elections to be held after the expiration of a full term of the previous Chamber....
in which HDZ had lost power on the national level, the new centre-left government of Ivica Račan
Ivica Racan
Ivica Račan was a Croatian career politician, leader of the League of Communists of Croatia and later Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2007...
called for a special local by-election in Zagreb, which ultimately resulted in SDP's landslide victory and Milan Bandić
Milan Bandic
Milan Bandić is an influential Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as mayor of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for party president. However, he remained one of...
becoming mayor.