Centre ( hr, Centar) is a

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

. The party was formed under the name ''Pametno'' ( en, Intelligently) in

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

in 2015 out of the citizens' initiative ''Za pametne ljude i pametan grad'' ("For smart people and a smart city"). 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. The Party's priorities are structural reforms, education and science, and it adheres to the values of "modern Western European countries". In November 2020, the party ''Pametno'' merged with the Dalija Orešković's ''Party with a First and Last Name'' to form a single party, called the ''Centre''.

History

Pametno was founded in 2013 as citizens' initiative ''Za pametne ljude i pametan grad'' ("For smart people and a smart city") in the second most populous city in Croatia,

, by computer scientist Marijana 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 children's playground and obtaining a building permit for a new district school. In 2013, she founded the citizens' initiative, competed in the 2013 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'. Pametno participated in the 2015 parliamentary election in the 10th

electoral district An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...

but did not win any seats in the Parliament. In the 2016 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 the 2017 local elections, the Party nominated Marijana Puljak as its candidate for the position of the

Mayor of Split The Mayor of the City of Split ( hr, Gradonačelnik Grada Splita), colloquially the ''Poteštat'' (derived from "'' podestà''"), is the highest official of the Croatian city of Split. From 1990 to 2007 the mayor was elected by the city assembly. S ...

. 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 the

Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE; french: Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l'Europe, ADLE) is a transnational alliance between two European political parties, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Euro ...

as an affiliate member. At the 2021 local elections, the Party candidate for the position of the

was Ivica Puljak. First round he ended first while in runoff he beat

HDZ The Croatian Democratic Union ( hr, Hrvatska demokratska zajednica, lit=Croatian Democratic Community, HDZ) is the major conservative, centre-right political party in Croatia. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in Cro ...

candidate Vice Mihanović. The Centre also won 7 out of 31 seats in the council, coming second.

Electoral results

Parliament (''Sabor'')

The following is a summary of the party's results in legislative elections for the

Croatian Parliament The Croatian Parliament ( hr, Hrvatski sabor) or the Sabor is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Croatia. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor ...

. The "Votes won" and "Percentage" columns include sums of votes won by pre-election coalitions Pametno had been part of. The "Seats won" column includes sums of seats won by Pametno.

References

{{ELDR member parties 2015 establishments in Croatia Political parties established in 2015 Liberal parties in Croatia Centrist parties in Croatia Pro-European political parties in Croatia Organizations based in Split, Croatia