The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia has made a ruling that President Zoran Milanović must resign from his position before he can make a run for the prime minister’s post. This decision was issued on Monday by the 15-judge court, with President Miroslav Šumanović penning the court’s explanation. [Read More]
The court referred to Article 96 of the Croatian Constitution, stating that a sitting president is not allowed to participate in partisan political activities as the office of presidency is a nonpartisan position. The article specifies that the President of the Republic must resign from any political party once elected. Moreover, running for parliament while holding the presidency would be a contravention of Article 4 of the constitution, as it upholds the separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches.
President Milanović received a warning to cease all partisan-oriented activities, such as leading a campaign for prime minister, while still in presidential office as they are in violation of the constitution.
Croatia operates both a president, who handles the everyday activities and is in charge of the nation’s military, and a prime minister, who is the head of the government, working closely with the parliament and wielding more authority than the president. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković is a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), a conservative Christian democratic party committed to uphold humanist values and patriotism by adhering to the rule of law. [More on Prime Minister] [More on HDZ]
Zoran Milanović, the incumbent president, was once a part of the progressive Social Democratic Party (SDP), which pledged its support to him after his announcement to run for prime minister. The SDP’s stance is more towards affordable housing, healthcare, labor, agricultural reform, and other related policies. [More on SDP]
In February, there was a public protest in the capital city, Zagreb, calling for elections to be held urgently. This was provoked by the government’s move to pass a bill criminalizing the leaking of police investigation details, among other actions.
The parliamentary elections are expected to take place on April 17.