Centre Centar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Ivica Puljak |
| Vice presidents | Marin Račić Ivana Fundurulić |
| Founder | Marijana Puljak |
| Founded | 2013(as Citizens' initiative) 2015(as Political party) |
| Headquarters | Split, Croatia[1] |
| Membership(2022) | 312[2] |
| Ideology | Social liberalism[3][4] Economic liberalism[3][4] Pro-Europeanism |
| Political position | Centre |
| National affiliation | Rivers of Justice (since 2024) |
| Regional affiliation | Liberal South East European Network |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Colours | Blue, Magenta Before 2020: Dark blue, Orange |
| Slogan | "Budućnost Hrvatske je biti <centar>"[5] ("The future of Croatia is to be the Centre") |
| Sabor | 2 / 151 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 12 |
| County Prefects | 0 / 21 |
| Mayors | 0 / 128 |
| SplitCity Council | 11 / 31 |
| Website | |
| strankacentar | |
Centre (Croatian:Centar) is aliberal[6]political party inCroatia. The party was formed under the namePametno (English:Intelligently) inSplit in 2015 out of the citizens' initiativeZa pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and a smart city").[7] The fundamental values endorsed by the party are the promotion of democracy, accountable and transparent management of public resources, civil proactive protection of fundamental human rights, economic development and environmental protection.[8]
Throughout the years, Pametno grew from the local initiative into a national party with representation in theCroatian Parliament. In November 2020, following a merger withDalija Orešković'sParty with a First and Last Name, the partyPametno changed name to theCentre.
Pametno was founded in 2013 as citizens' initiativeZa pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and asmart city") in the second most populous city in Croatia,Split, by computer scientistMarijana Puljak. In 2010, Puljak served as President of the Split City District of Žnjan which had around 6000 citizens. During her tenure, she achieved success by reviving social life in the district, launching the construction of a playground and obtaining a building permit for a new district school. In 2013, she founded the citizens' initiative, competed in the2013 local elections and eventually, surprisingly, ended up winning 4 seats in the Split City Council.
In 2015, the citizens' initiative was transformed into a political party whose work was based on the principles of 'New people for a new policy', 'Science and education as the foundation of society' and 'Policies based on evidence'.[9][7]
Pametno participated in the2015 parliamentary election in the 10thelectoral district but did not win any seats in the Parliament.[9] It originally negotiated with the newbig-tent partyBridge of Independent Lists ahead of the election, but the parties parted ways because of disagreements and Pametno ran alone.[10] In the2016 extraordinary parliamentary election, the Party went national as part of the two-party "Turn Croatia Around" coalition, eventually coming in 7th in term of votes won, but winning no seats in the Parliament.
At the2017 local elections, the Party nominated Marijana Puljak as its candidate for the position ofMayor of Split.[11] She eventually came in third and did not qualify for the second round. However, Pametno won 7 seats in the Split City Council; three more than the party had won at the previous election.
On 1 December 2017, the party was admitted into theAlliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe as an affiliate member.[12] As of 2024, Centre has achieved full membership status.[13]
Pametno participated in the2020 parliamentary election in a centrist coalition with relatively new partiesFocus andParty with a First and Last Name (IP).[14] Marijana Puljak was elected amember of Parliament in the10th electoral district. After a split with Focus, newly elected MPs Puljak andDalija Orešković (IP) formed a parliamentary club together withAnka Mrak-Taritaš, the leader ofCivic Liberal Alliance (GLAS). The club became the first all-female club in history ofSabor.[15][16]
In November 2020,Party with a First and Last Name and Pametno announced their merger into one party, calledCentre.[17][18] The announcement was not well received among the Split party members at the time. Many left, including six local councilors and party founders that later foundedSmart for Split and Dalmatia. Formally, Pametno changed its name while IP remained as a registered party, with MP Orešković as a member of both parties, because of political funds the party would receive for their elected seat in Sabor. Orešković, Marijana Puljak, Dario Carev and Marin Račić were elected co-presidents of Centre.[19][20]
At the2021 local elections, the Party candidate for the position of theMayor of Split wasIvica Puljak. First round he ended first while in the runoff he beatHDZ candidate Vice Mihanović. The Centre also won 7 out of 31 seats in the council, coming second.[21] Since the2021 nationwide local elections, the party also has city councilors inRijeka andBjelovar, as well as assembly members inSplit-Dalmatia County,Sisak-Moslavina County andZadar County.[22][2][23]Inthe extraordinary elections in June 2022, mayor Ivica Puljak confirmed his mandate, and 15 councilors from the Centre party entered the Split city council.
At the party's online electoral congress in November 2021, mayor Puljak was elected the new leader of the party, with Lana Pavić and Marin Račić as his vice presidents andDalija Orešković as the political secretary.[24] Orešković however left Centre in August 2023, due to the dispute with Puljak couple and formedDalija Orešković and People with a First and Last Name on 8 October 2023, as a continuation of Party with a First and Last Name.[25][26]
The Centre was one of the 11 left-wing and liberal opposition parties that organized the2024 Zagreb protest. In March 2024, the party became a part of theRivers of Justice coalition ahead of the2024 Croatian parliamentary election.[27] The party won two seats, with Marijana Puljak being re-elected andDubrovnik lawyer Viktorija Knežević replacing newly elected Ivica Puljak who had suspended his mandate to focus on his duties as mayor.[28] Since 2024, the Centre forms a joint deputy club withIndependent Platform of the North.[29]
Centre's priorities are structural reforms, education and science,[30] and it adheres to the values of "modern Western European countries".The Party issecular,anti-fascist andpro-European. It opposesthe Vatican agreements[31] and the use of saluteZa dom spremni.[32] It strongly believes incivil liberties, such as theright to abortion and advancement ofLGBT rights.[33][34]
On economy, Centre is liberal. The party supports thefree market and encouragesentrepreneurship, advocating for reduction of taxes, eliminatingparafiscal fees and lesspublic administration andbureaucracy.[35] At the same time, the party takes a social approach to education and healthcare.One of its priorities isdecentralization. Centre advocates for reducing the number of municipalities and replacing the current 20counties of Croatia with 5 regions.[36][37]
The following is a summary of the party's results in legislative elections for theCroatian Parliament. The "Votes won" and "Percentage" columns include sums of votes won by pre-election coalitions the party had been part of. The "Seats won" column includes sums of seats won by Centre.
| Election | Coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Coalition totals) | (Pametno / Centre only) | |||||
| 2015 | — | 6,001 | 0.27% | 0 / 151 | New | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2016 | Za grad | 38,812 | 2.06% | 0 / 151 |  0 | Extra-parliamentary |
| 2020 | Fokus –IP | 66,399 | 3.98% | 1 / 151 |  1 | Opposition |
| 2024 | SDP–HSS–GLAS–IP | 538,748 | 25.40% | 2 / 151 | 1 | Opposition |
| Election | List leader | Coalition with | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Ivica Puljak | Union of Kvarner | 15,074 | 1.40 (#13) | 0 / 12 | New | – |
| 2024 | Biljana Borzan | SDP–HSS–GLAS–DO i SIP | 192,859 | 25,62 (#2) | 0 / 12 | 0 |
The following is a list of presidential candidates who were endorsed by Centar.
| Election year(s) | Candidate | 1st round | 2nd round | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||
| 2024 | Zoran Milanović (Ind.) | 797,938 | 49.68 (#1) | 1,122,859 | 74.68 (#1) | Won |
| Election | as | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Marijana Puljak Independent List | 6,534 | 9.25% | 4 / 35 | New | Opposition |
| 2017 | Pametno | 11,043 | 16.43% | 7 / 35 | 3 | Opposition |
| 2021 | Centre | 12,862 | 20.17% | 7 / 31 | | Government |
| 2022 | 19,376 | 42.47% | 15 / 31 | 8 | Government | |
| 2025 | 15,888 | 31.07% | 11 / 31 |  4 | Opposition |
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