The Democratic Centre (Croatian: Demokratski centar or DC) was a Croatian centre-right political party established in 2000 by former members of the Croatian Democratic Union.
Democratic Centre Demokratski centar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founder | Mate Granić Vesna Škare-Ožbolt |
| Founded | 2 April 2000[1] |
| Dissolved | 6 November 2015 |
| Split from | Croatian Democratic Union |
| Merged into | Croatian Democratic Union |
| Headquarters | 48 Ilica Street, Zagreb, Croatia |
| Membership (2011) | 17,300[2] |
| Ideology | Liberal conservatism |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| International affiliation | European People's Party (Observer) |
| Website | |
| dcentar | |
History
editThe party was formed in 2000 by Mate Granić and Vesna Škare-Ožbolt after they left the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) following the party's defeat in the January 2000 election and Mate Granić's defeat in the February 2000 presidential race. Upon their foundation DC described themselves as a "modern democratic popular party with a European orientation, and a party of a strong civil society".[3]
Following HDZ's return to power in the 2003 general election, DC (which had been informally allied with HDZ during the election) gained a single seat in the Croatian Parliament and a single ministerial post in the Croatian Government. Vesna Škare-Ožbolt, the party's leader and their only representative elected to parliament, was appointed Justice Minister in the Cabinet of Ivo Sanader I. She held the post from December 2003 to February 2006,[4] when she was forced to step down by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader following allegations that she leaked information to the media,[5] although some media pundits ascribed her resignation to her prominent public stance and ministerial results which overshadowed HDZ ministers. Since then, DC has been as an opposition party.
Since October 2002, the Democratic Centre is an observer member of the European People's Party (EPP).[6]
In the 2007 general elections DC ran independently, entering coalition agreements with the Green Party in some constituencies. They failed to win any seats in the 153-seat parliament. Vesna Škare-Ožbolt also ran for President in the 2009–10 election as a formally independent candidate but only managed to win 37,373 or 1.89% of votes in the first round, finishing 11th out of 12 candidates.[7]
On November 6, 2015, Vesna Škare Ožbolt and Tomislav Karamarko signed an Agreement on the Accession of the members of the Democratic Centre to the Croatian Democratic Union by which DC merged into Croatian Democratic Union.[8] DC was struck from the register of political parties in April 2016.[1]
Election history
editLegislative
editThe following is a summary of the party's results in legislative elections for the Croatian parliament. The "Total votes" and "Percentage" columns include sums of votes won by pre-election coalitions DC had been part of and the "Total seats" column includes sums of seats won by DC in election constituencies.
| Election | In coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Coalition totals) | (DC only) | ||||
| November 2003 | HSLS | 100,335 | 4.0% | 1 / 151 |  1
|
| November 2007 | Green Party (Constituencies II, VI, VIII) | 20,080 | 0.8% | 0 / 153 |  1
|
| December 2011 | HDZ and HGS | 554,765 | 23.4% | 1 / 151 | 1
|
European Parliament
edit| Election | In coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2013 | None | 5,413 | 0.73% | 0 / 12 | 
|
References
edit- ^ a b "WebPAC".
- ^ "Demokratski centar" (PDF) (in Croatian). HIDRA. Retrieved 15 October 2011.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Statut Demokratskog centra".
- ^ "Vlada: 9 / predsjednik Vlade: Dr. sc. Ivo Sanader (2003-12-23/2008-01-12)" (in Croatian). HIDRA. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "4 razloga za smjenu Vesne Škare Ožbolt". Nacional (in Croatian). No. 535. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Europska pučka stranka - vodeća politička snaga Europe". vlada.gov.hr (in Croatian). Government of Croatia. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Potpuni službeni rezultati izbora za predsjednika Republike Hrvatske" (in Croatian). Izbori.hr. 28 December 2009. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "Demokratski centar prešao u Hrvatsku demokratsku zajednicu".
External links
edit- Official website
(in Croatian)