The Croatian Democratic Union (Croatian: Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, HDZ), is a major Croatian political party. The HDZ ruled Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in coalition, since 2003. The party is an associated member of the European People's Party (EPP). The European Peoples Party (EPP) is the largest European political party. ...

The HDZ was founded in June 1989 by Croatian nationalist dissidents led by [[Franjo Tuđman]. When the party was founded, the multi-party system in Croatia was at an embryonic stage and open manifestations of Croatian nationalism were frowned upon. The HDZ was founded in an almost conspiratorial manner, and its first offices were in one Zagreb shack. Because of that the party founders proudly call themselves barakaši - from "baraka", which is Croatian word for "shack". Ivo Sanader [] (born June 8, 1953 in Split) is the current Prime Thief of Croatia (President of the Government). ... Zagreb (pronounced ) is the capital and the largest city of Croatia. ... Eugène Delacroixs Liberty Leading the People, symbolising French nationalism during the July Revolution. ... Christian Democracy is a diverse political ideology and movement. ... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... The International Democrat Union is an international grouping of conservative and, in some cases, Christian democratic parties. ... The European Peoples Party (EPP) is the largest European political party. ... 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nationalism is an ideology that creates and sustains a nation as a concept of a common identity for groups of humans. ...

Despite such humble beginnings, the party quickly benefited from the loosening of Communist control. Tuđman and other HDZ officials travelled abroad and gathered large financial contributions from Croatian expatriates with this reflected in a more nationalist HDZ platform.

On the eve of the 1990 elections, the ruling Croatian Communist Party saw such tendencies within the HDZ as an opportunity to remain in power. The voting system was tailored to favour the two strongest parties and it was assumed that Croatian voters would opt for the ruling Communists, rebranded in as the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, as a lesser evil than the HDZ which was described as "the party of dangerous intentions". At the elections this proved to be miscalculation, because the Croatian people saw the extremism of the HDZ not only as the way to get rid of Communism and Yugoslavia, but also as the proper answer to Serb nationalism embodied by Slobodan Milošević. The HDZ won a majority in the Croatian Parliament and Croatia became one of few countries of Eastern Europe where the Communist single party rule was replaced by anti-Communist single party rule. May 30, 1990 - the day the HDZ formally took power - was later celebrated as Statehood Day, a public holiday in Croatia. First free multi-party elections for Croatian Parliament were held between April 22nd and May 7th 1990. ... Croatian Communist Party (Croatian Komunistička Partija Hrvatske, KPH) also known as the Croatian League of Communists (Croatian Savez Komunista Hrvatske, SKH) was the Croatian branch of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (KPJ). ... The Social Democratic Party of Croatia (Croatian: Socijaldemokratska Partija Hrvatske) is the main social democratic political party in Croatia. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in Latin, Југославија in Cyrillic, English: Land of the South Slavs) describes four political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević (Požarevac, Nedićs Serbia, 20 August 1941 – The Hague, 11 March 2006) was President of Serbia and of Yugoslavia. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ...

The presidential elections followed in 1992 and Tuđman, who would remain as undisputed party leader until his death in 1999, was elected president. First Presidential elections under new 1990 Constitution of the republic of Croatia, held 1992 by popular vote. ...

The party ruled Croatia throughout the 1990s and under its leadership, Croatia became independent (1991), was internationally recognised (1992), and consolidated all of its pre-war territory (by 1998). During that period the HDZ had its power confirmed by the 1992 and 1995 parliamentary elections. The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean [1]. // Coated in ice, power and telephone lines sag and often break, resulting in power outages. ...

As it strongly advocated Croatian independence, the HDZ was quite unpopular with the Serb minority who largely opposed Croatia's independence preferring to see Croatia remain inside the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. This was one of the factors contributing to the creation of the Republic of Serbian Krajina and the subsequent armed conflict in neighbouring Bosnia-Herzegovina. The role of the 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 a contributing factor in the escalation of violence, while others see the HDZ as having appeased Serbia and the Yugoslav People's Army, and therefore, responsible for Croatia not being properly prepared for defence. It should be noted that the policies of Tuđman and the HDZ shifted according to the circumstances and that the more controversial among them could be properly judged only in the historic, economic, military and political context. Capital Belgrade Language(s) Serbo-Croatian, Serbian, Croatian, Slovenian, Macedonian Government Socialist republic President  - 1945 - 1953 Ivan Ribar  - 1991 Stjepan Mesić Prime Minister  - 1945 - 1963 Josip Broz Tito  - 1989 - 1991 Ante Marković Historical era Cold War  - Proclamation November 29, 1943  - UN membership October 24, 1945  - Constitution February 21, 1974  - Secessions... The Republic of Serb Krajina (Serbian: Република Српска Крајина, РСК; sometimes also translated Republic of Serbian Krajina) was a self-proclaimed Serbian entity in Croatia during the 1990s. ... Anthem Serbia() on the European continent() Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian language 1 Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Croatian, Slovak, Romanian, Rusyn 2 Albanian, English 3 Government Parliamentary republic  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica Establishment  -  Formation 8th century   -  Independence c. ... The Yugoslav Peoples Army (YPA) (Serbian and Macedonian: Југословенска народна армија - JHA; Macedonian and Serbian Latin forms: Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian and Bosnian: Jugoslavenska narodna armija - JNA; Slovene: Jugoslovanska ljudska armada - JLA) was the military force of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. ...

The HDZ also led Croatia through the process of political and economic transition from communism to capitalism. Notably, HDZ governments implemented privatization in the country, in a manner which the critics consider suboptimal. Post-Communism is a name sometimes given to the period of political and economic transition in former communist states located in parts of Europe and Asia, usually transforming into a free market capitalist and globalized economy. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The goal of the suboptimal process, as stated publicly by Franjo Tuđman, 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 HDZ in 1992 which enacted into law the right of corporations (the vast majority of which were under state ownership) the right to finally formally register themselves as the owners of nationalized property thus completing the process of nationalization started by the communist regime after WWII. Nationalization or nationalisation is the act of transferring assets into public ownership. ... Corporate redirects here. ...

Many tycoons emerged in a pattern of state-sponsored loans brokered with HDZ 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. This model was abused, not only by the HDZ, but also by other political parties in Croatia, even though their share in the privatization was barely significant. A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, or industrialist is a person who controls a large portion of a particular industry and whose wealth derives primarily from this control. ... Accountability is a concept in ethics with several meanings. ...

Not all of the nationalized property was dealt with in this way. The property of those who could lobby the HDZ or had substantial influence in Croatian politics was returned without much delay. These include possessions nationalized from the Catholic Church or widely known individuals such as Mr. Gavrilović, owner of a major meat-producing factory in Petrinja south of Zagreb. It has been suggested that Interest representation: Academic overview be merged into this article or section. ... The Roman Catholic Church in Croatia is part of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. ...

In terms of ideology, HDZ leaders at first described their party as right-wing, and Tuđman himself stated that he was inspired by Thatcherism. Later, the party described 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 up the differences between their ancestors and work together in order to create a modern, independent and democratic Croatia. In practice, this policy saw the powerful defence minister Gojko Šušak, head of the HDZ hardline faction, win Tuđman's favour. Stjepan Mesić and Josip Manolić, Tuđman's associates opposed to such tendencies, left the party in 1994 and formed the Croatian Independent Democrats. These tendencies were toned down after the end of the war and the HDZ, concerned with more mundane aspects of politics, became a mainly social conservative party. In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Margaret Thatcher Thatcherism is the system of political thought attributed to the governments of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. ... The centre-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote political parties or organisations (such as think tanks) that stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding extreme right wing beliefs such as fascism. ... Christian Democracy is a political ideology, born at the end of the 19th century, largely as a result of the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum of Pope Leo XIII, in which the Vatican recognizes workers misery and agrees that something should be done about it, in reaction to the rise of... Yugoslav Partisan Flag The Yugoslav Partisans were the main resistance movement engaged in the fight against the Axis forces in the Balkans during World War II, the Yugoslav Peoples Liberation War. ... Gojko Å uÅ¡ak (April 16, 1945 – May 3, 1998) was Croatian Minister of Defence from 1991 to 1998 and President Franjo TuÄ‘mans closest associate and confidant. ... Stjepan Stipe Mesić (born December 24, 1934) has been the President of the Republic of Croatia since 2000. ... Josip Manolić is a Croatian politician who used to be one of the most important public figures in 1990s Croatia. ... Croatian Independent Democrats (Croatian: Hrvatski nezavisni demokrati, HND) is a political party in Croatia. ... Social conservatism is a belief in traditional morality and social mores and the desire to preserve these in present day society, often through civil law or regulation. ...

The end of war and reintegration of Croatian territory also switched Croatian people's attention from independence and foreign relations to the more mundane issues of the economy and living standards. In the late 1990s this coincided with Tuđman's illness, which sparked bitter succession struggles between various factions within HDZ. These factions fought using friendly media and leaking compromising information about opponents' role in shadier aspects of privatisation. This, as well as Tuđman's mishandling of the Zagreb Crisis, did much to undermine HDZ popularity. Zagreb Crisis (Croatian Zagrebačka kriza) is the name used to describe events that followed the elections for the City of Zagreb Assembly held on October 29th, 1995. ...

All this, together with Tuđman's death in December 1999, had an impact on the 2000 parliamentary elections. Although the HDZ remained the largest party, it was thoroughly defeated by a left-centre coalition of six opposition parties and many saw large turnout as referendum against the HDZ, just as the 1990 elections had been seen as referendum on Communism and Yugoslavia. This impression was underlined at the subsequent presidential election, when the HDZ candidate Mate Granić, heavily favoured to win, finished 3rd and failed to enter the second round of voting, won by Stipe Mesić. Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of Croatian Parliament were held on January 3rd 2000. ... Third Presidential elections under new 1990 Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, held 2000 by popular vote. ... Mate Granić (born September 19, 1947) is a Croatian diplomat and politician. ... Stjepan Stipe Mesić (born December 24, 1934) has been the President of the Republic of Croatia since 2000. ...

In the period from 2000 and 2003, several businessmen who became tycoons under the initial HDZ rule were tried and convicted for alleged abuses, though in general the privatization process implemented by the HDZ remained unaltered.

This period proved to be a low point for the HDZ and many thought that party could not recover. Those included Mate Granić, who, together with Vesna Škare Ožbolt, left to form the centre-right Democratic Centre (DC). Vesna Å kare-Ožbolt is a Croatian politician. ... The Democratic Centre (Croatian: Demokratski centar, DC) is a Croatian political party. ...

The HDZ began to recover when the International Criminal Tribunal began to prosecute Croatian Army commanders, thus creating major backlash among the Croatian public. Popular discontent manifested itself in mass rallies. Although the HDZ and new leader Ivo Sanader took part in those events and supported the protests, they gradually began to distance themselves from the more extreme rhetoric, becoming perceived as moderates. This tendency continued with Croatian Social Liberal Party shifting rightwards, making Sanader's HDZ appear centrist in comparison. This process was finalised in 2002 when Ivić Pašalić, leader of the HDZ hardliners and perceived to be associated with the worst excesses of Tuđman's era, challenged Sanader for party leadership, accusing him of betraying Tuđman's nationalist legacy. At first it looked that Sanader would lose, but with the help of Branimir Glavaš and the tacit support of liberal sections of Croatian public opinion, he won at the party convention. Pašalić then left the HDZ to form the Croatian Bloc party. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is a body of the United Nations established to prosecute war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. ... Croatian Ground Army (Croatian: Hrvatska kopnena vojska), commonly referred as Croatian Army (Hrvatska vojska) is a branch of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia. ... Ivo Sanader [] (born June 8, 1953 in Split) is the current Prime Thief of Croatia (President of the Government). ... Croatian Social Liberal Party (Croatian: Hrvatska socijalno liberalna stranka, HSLS) is a liberal party in Croatia. ... Ivić PaÅ¡alić (b. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Croatian Bloc (Croatian: Hrvatski blok, HB) is a right-wing political party in Croatia. ...

This allowed Sanader to present the HDZ as a "reformed" party, purged of the more controversial aspects of the Tuđman legacy, and to convince the public that returning the HDZ to power would not jeopardise democratic standards in Croatia. As such, the HDZ started to be perceived as a credible democratic alternative to the government of Ivica Račan, then plagued by indecision, inefficiency, corruption and factional struggles. Ivica Račan, former Prime Minister of Croatia Ivica Račan (born February 24, 1944) is a Croatian left-wing politician, formerly the Prime Minister of Croatia. ...

At the 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 a clear majority in Croatian Parliament, even with the help of the allied DC and HSLS, it formed the government with the Independent Democratic Serbian Party and the nominally left-wing Croatian Party of Pensioners. Elections for the Croatian Parliament were held on November 23, 2003. ... The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. ... The Independent Democratic Serbian Party (Samostalna demokratska srpska stranka, SDSS – Cyrillic: Самостална демократска српска странка) is a political party... The Croatian Party of Pensioners (Croatian: Hrvatska Stranka Umirovljenika) is a Croatian political party. ...

With such a broad and diverse mandate, the Sanader-led government vigorously 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 Ante Gotovina. Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina (born October 12, 1955) is a former lieutenant general (general pukovnik) of the Croatian Army who served in the 1991-1995 war in Croatia. ...

This setback brought an increase in Eurosceptic views among the Croatian public, which also affected support for the HDZ. Since accession to EU is key part of Sanader's reformist course, the opposition to Sanader within and outside HDZ is on the rise. This opposition manifested itself at the 2005 local elections and the defection of Glavaš, who not only successfully challenged Sanader's authority but also managed to nominally deprive Sanader of his parliamentary majority. Euroscepticism is scepticism about, or disagreement with, the purposes of the European Union, sometimes coupled with a desire to preserve national sovereignty. ...

See also

• Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian: Hrvatska demokratska zajednica Bosne i Hercegovine, HDZ BiH) is a political party of Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina. ...

External link

• Official party web page