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The Croatian Sovereignists (Croatian: Hrvatski suverenisti) are a conservative[6] and Christian right-wing political party in Croatia. The party was founded in 2019 and is led by Marijan Pavliček.[7]
Croatian Sovereignists Hrvatski suverenisti | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | HS |
| President | Marijan Pavliček[1] |
| Founded | November 2019 |
| Merger of |
|
| Headquarters | Zagreb |
| Ideology | National conservatism[2] |
| Political position | Right-wing[A][4] |
| European affiliation | European Christian Political Movement (2021–2022) European Conservatives and Reformists Party (since 2022) |
| European Parliament group | European Conservatives and Reformists |
| Colours | Red White Blue |
| Sabor | 1 / 151
|
| European Parliament | 0 / 12
|
| County Prefects | 0 / 21
|
| Mayors | 0 / 128
|
| Website | |
| https://suverenisti.hr | |
^ A: The party is also considered as a part of the radical right, a label which can include far-right.[5] | |
The party grew out of a coalition formed ahead of the 2019 European Parliament election in Croatia by four parties: the Croatian Conservative Party (HKS), the Croatian Growth (Hrast), the Croatian Party of Rights Dr. Ante Starčević (HSP AS), and the United Croatian Patriots (UHD). The coalition finished third and re-elected its list leader, MEP Ruža Tomašić.[8]
Foundation
The party was originally founded in November 2019 as a political platform between the Croatian Conservative Party (HKS), Croatian Growth (Hrast), and some citizens' initiatives, such as "Istina o Istanbulskoj" and "Hrvatski bedem".[9]
2020 parliamentary election
In 2020, the party entered the Sabor (Croatian Parliament) in a Homeland Movement-led coalition. As of 2021, the Croatian Sovereignists have four MPs in the Sabor.[10]
Merger of smaller right-wing parties
On 2 October 2021, a unification assembly was held in Croatia's capital Zagreb. During the assembly it was announced that HKS, Hrast and the Generation of Renewal (GO), three smaller conservative and right-wing parties, will become defunct to merge and work together as the Croatian Sovereignists.[11][12]
Expulsion of Zekanović from the party
On 17 December, the presidency of the Croatian Sovereignists launched proceedings to expel Hrvoje Zekanović from the party, which was conducted on 17 January. The final decision was to be made within 30 days. Zekanović surprised everyone with a speech about vaccinations in the Croatian Parliament a week earlier on Thursday, which was followed by his removal as a president of a parliamentary club and Hrvoje Zekanović was officially expelled from the Croatian Sovereign Party on 19 January 2022.[13][14][15]
After Andrej Plenković (HDZ), the Prime Minister of Croatia, announced that he expects Croatia to join the eurozone by the beginning of 2023,[16][17] the Croatian Sovereignists launched a campaign called "Protect the Croatian Kuna"[18] (Croatian: Zaštitimo hrvatsku kunu). Hrvoje Zekanović announced that the Sovereignists will start collecting signatures for a referendum and claimed that "not a single citizen of the Republic of Croatia out of two-thirds who voted for the EU knew that we had committed ourselves to introduce the euro within a certain period of time, i.e. enter the eurozone."[19] Sovereignist Member of Parliament Marijan Pavliček argued in a parliament speech that: "such an important topic where part of the sovereignty is lost, in this case monetary sovereignty, cannot be decided by individuals in their offices after an agreement with the powers in Brussels. On this topic only the Croatian people can decide through a referendum."[20]
The initiative is also supported by the Croatian Party of Rights,[21] the Independents for Croatia, and Generation of Renewal.[18]
On 24 October 2021, the "Protect the Croatian Kuna" initiative started collecting signatures demanding a referendum. Sovereignist Member of Parliament Marko Milanović Litre said in an interview, that already after five days 157,000 signatures were collected. For a referendum on the subject, the initiative needs to gather 368,867 signatures by 7 November 2021.[22] After the collection of signatures was over, the Sovereignists announced that they had collected 334,582 valid signatures, which is not enough to call a referendum.[23]
On its website, the party names:
as its program guidelines.[24]
Legislative
| Election | In coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change | Government? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Coalition totals) | (Croatian Sovereignists only) | |||||
| 2020 | DPMŠ-led coalition | 181,492 | 10.89 (#3) | 4 / 151 |
New | Opposition |
| 2024 | Most-led coalition | 169,988 | 8.02 (#5) | 2 / 151 |
 2 |
Opposition |
European Parliament
| Election | List leader | Coalition | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition | HS | ||||||
| 2019[a] | Ruža Tomašić | None | 91,546 | 8.52 (#3) | 1 / 12 |
New | ECR |
| 2024 | Božo Petrov | MOST–HSP | 30,155 | 4.01 (#7) | 0 / 12 |
1 |
– |
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