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The Croatian parliamentary elections in January 2000 were won by the socially democratic party (SDP) and the Croatian socially liberal party (HSLS), which took part with a common list of candidates in the election. The victory was attributed to a voters protest against the HDZ from Tudjman . Beside the overwhelming victory of the SDP and the HSLS also other moderate parties won votes, namely HSS, IDS, LS and HNS. These six parties formed together a coalition. The Croatian government Racan in 2000, brought a positive rotation in Croatia. As well in the internal and foreign policy serious changes were carried out: implementation of an economic convalescence programme, an extensive adjustment programme for legislation (particularly that legislation which is discriminating for minorities), promotion of the return of refugees and displaced persons, a fresh look at the security services and renewal of the media laws. In September 2002, the reputation of the Racan government was seriously damaged by its refusal to turn over retired Croatian army chief of staff General Janko Bobetko, who had been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The issues of dealing with war crimes and cooperating with the ICTY have been painful ones for Croatia in recent years and have repeatedly threatened to destabilize the Croatian government in the post-Tudjman period. In February 2002, five ministers in Racan's government - all of whom were from the coalition's second-largest party, the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) - resigned from the government over disagreements as to how to cooperate with the ICTY. The Racan government faced further difficulties that summer when the bodies of 18 Serb civilians murdered during the war were discovered 500 kilometers from the site of the massacre. Former Croatian state officials at the highest levels appear to have been implicated in the massacre. The Racan government's weak political position was made plain in July, when Racan himself tendered his resignation after a majority of representatives from the HSLS, the second-largest party in his ruling five-party coalition, refused to support an agreement he had negotiated with neighboring Slovenia regarding the decommissioning of the Krsko nuclear power station. Racan was able to re-form a new government by the end of the month, but its position remained precarious. Because of such problems, much important legislation, such as the new Constitutional Law on National Minorities (intended, partly, to increase representation of national minorities in parliament), could not be passed through the legislative process in 2002. On 17 March 2005 the likelihood of Croatia opening EU talks has been dealt a blow by claims by the UN chief prosecutor that the country has not done enough to find and arrest a war crimes suspect. Carla Del Ponte, chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal (ICTY) in The Hague, sent a letter to the Luxembourg EU Presidency criticising Zagreb for not doing enough to locate the fugitive general, Ante Gotovina. After this negative claim by the UN the EU postponed the possible EU joining negotiations with Croatia. Back to top |
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