The Left of Croatia ( hr, Ljevica Hrvatske) was a marginal

leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

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 ...

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 ...

with no parliamentary representation.

Origins

Left of Croatia was created in 2007 by the merger of several parties: *Vladimir Bebić – Third Block *Green Left of Croatia *Social Democratic Union *Dalmatian Assembly *Olive *Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative *, an SDP

dissident A dissident is a person who actively challenges an established Political system, political or Organized religion, religious system, doctrine, belief, policy, or institution. In a religious context, the word has been used since the 18th century, and ...

Social Democratic Union

The Social Democratic Union ( hr, Socijalnodemokratska unija) was founded in 1992, following Croatian independence, being one of very few political parties to identify itself as left-wing. Most of their members were former

Communists Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a so ...

or left-wingers displeased embracing

Croatian nationalism Croatian nationalism is nationalism that asserts the nationality of Croats and promotes the cultural unity of Croats. Modern Croatian nationalism first arose in the 19th century after Budapest exerted increasing pressure for Magyarization of Cr ...

, the excesses of

privatisation Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

and human rights abuses of ethnic minorities. The first leader of the party was

Branko Horvat Branko Horvat (24 July 1928 – 18 December 2003) was a Croatian economist and politician. Horvat was born in Petrinja on 24 July 1928. In 1944 during World War II, Horvat and his father Artur Horvat joined the Partisan movement in Croatia. He w ...

, noted economist and one of the few Croatian intellectuals to oppose the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

SFR Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

. In the early 1990s, the SDU was also one of the few political parties to openly advocate co-operation and integration of Croatia with other republics of former Yugoslavia, a view very different from the current Croatian political mainstream. In the 1992 parliamentary elections it turned out that SDU nevertheless enjoyed some degree of support, especially among

ethnic Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

living in government-controlled territories. Although it failed to break the 2% vote threshold of entry into 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 SDU could have hoped to win three seats by fulfilling the constitutional quota of ethnic Serbs in Sabor. Instead, the

Croatian Constitutional Court The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Ustavni sud Republike Hrvatske) is an institution that acts as the interpreter and guardian of the Croatian Constitution and which monitors the conformity of laws with the Constitution as ...

, in one of the most controversial decisions in their history, ruled that the seats should go to Serb People's Party as an "ethnic party", and presumably the only true representative of ethnic Serb minority, despite the fact SNS won fewer votes than SDU. The SDU had some success in the local elections held a few months later, but the biggest boost came to them with parliamentary status gained when , a colorful member of Sabor from

Rijeka Rijeka ( , , ; also known as Fiume hu, Fiume, it, Fiume ; local Chakavian: ''Reka''; german: Sankt Veit am Flaum; sl, Reka) is the principal seaport and the third-largest city in Croatia (after Zagreb and Split). It is located in Primor ...

, decided to join their ranks. Bebić, who enjoyed a great deal of popularity in the Croatian public, gradually became the party's leader. In the 1995 election he managed to increase the SDU's vote margin, but with increased vote threshold (5%), the SDU failed to enter Sabor. This, the appearance of more mainstream left-wing parties, and the establishment of a rejuvenated SDP as Croatia's main opposition party, led to the SDU becoming more marginalized, struck with internal divisions and gradually phased out in late 1990s. After the

Socialist Labour Party of Croatia Socialist Labour Party of Croatia ( hr, Socijalistička radnička partija Hrvatske or SRP) is a communist party in Croatia, also known as Socialist Workers' Party of Croatia. url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717003705/http://www.nacional.hr/cl ...

(SRP) was formed, many SDU members joined that organization. The SDU formed joint lists for local elections in 2005 with the SRP, the Green Party and the Green Left of Croatia, but failed to enter any of the regional assemblies.

Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative

The Socialist Party of Croatia – Left Alternative ( hr, Socijalistička partija Hrvatske - lijeva alternativa) was a leftist party formed in 2004 when several members left the

. In the local elections of 2005, the party had joint lists with the

Social Democratic Party of Croatia The Social Democratic Party of Croatia ( hr, Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske, SDP) is a social-democratic political party in Croatia. The SDP is anti-fascist, progressive, and strongly pro-European. The SDP was formed in 1990 as the succe ...

in the town of

Glina Glina is a word of Slavic origin, meaning "clay". It may refer to: * Glina (river) in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina *Glina, Croatia, a town in Croatia ** Glina massacres, 1941 * Glina, Piotrków County in Łódź Voivodeship (central Poland) * ...

and with the

Independent Democratic Serb Party The Independent Democratic Serb Party ( sh-Cyrl-Latn, Самостална демократска српска странка, Samostalna demokratska srpska stranka, SDSS) is a social-democratic political party in Croatia representing the interes ...

Sisak-Moslavina County Sisak-Moslavina County ( hr, Sisačko-moslavačka županija) is a Croatian Counties of Croatia, county in eastern Central Croatia and southwestern Slavonia. It is named after the city of Sisak and the region Moslavina just across the river Sava. ...

, where it gained one seat in the assembly.

Green Left of Croatia

The Green Left of Croatia ( hr, Zelena ljevica Hrvatske) was a leftist party formed in 2001 whose political platform was ecological socialism. On the local elections in 2005, it formed a joint list with the Social Democratic Union and two other

green parties A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation f ...

. The coalition got 0.39% vote in Zagreb. It ceased to exist in 2006 and in 2007 merged into the Left of Croatia.

Ideology

The Party sees itself as the protector of the workers and other

disadvantaged The "disadvantaged" is a generic term for individuals or groups of people who: * Face special problems such as physical or mental disability * Lack money or economic supportKingdom of Nepal: Economic and Social Inclusion of the Disadvantaged Poo ...

parts of society. It considers the privatization process in the nineties after the

breakup of Yugoslavia The breakup of Yugoslavia occurred as a result of a series of political upheavals and conflicts during the early 1990s. After a period of political and economic crisis in the 1980s, constituent republics of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yu ...

to be criminal and supports free education and healthcare.

Anti-fascism Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were ...

is declared to be one of basis of the party. The party claims to support

small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to ap ...

in competition with “foreign capital”. It also supports EU membership and

gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...

, and opposes

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

membership. The Left aims to present itself as a strongly

anti-corruption Anti-corruption (or anticorruption) comprises activities that oppose or inhibit corruption. Just as corruption takes many forms, anti-corruption efforts vary in scope and in strategy. A general distinction between preventive and reactive measu ...

party.

Leadership

The Party is led by Croatian politician and former

athlete An athlete (also sportsman or sportswoman) is a person who competes in one or more sports that involve physical strength, speed, or endurance. Athletes may be professionals or amateurs. Most professional athletes have particularly well-devel ...

, a former MP. Before his death in 2009, a prominent leader was , another former MP.

Local representation

Ljevica was represented in the council of

by two councillors and by three in assembly of

Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Primorje-Gorski Kotar County ( hr, Primorsko-goranska županija, ) is a county in western Croatia that includes the Bay of Kvarner, the surrounding Northern Croatian Littoral, and the mountainous region of Gorski kotar. Its center is Rijeka. The ...

. All were elected from the electoral list "Vladimir Bebić – Third Block list on the 2005 local elections.

2007 elections

Soon after its founding

congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of a ...

, the party announced a joint list with Istrian Social Democratic Forum and

Croatian Social Democrats Croatian Social Democrats ( hr, Hrvatski socijaldemokrati), abbreviated HSD, is a minor left-wing Croatian political party. It came into existence in 2004 as a splinter party of the much more influential Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP). ...

Istria Istria ( ; Croatian language, Croatian and Slovene language, Slovene: ; ist, Eîstria; Istro-Romanian language, Istro-Romanian, Italian language, Italian and Venetian language, Venetian: ; formerly in Latin and in Ancient Greek) is the larges ...

and

. The Left also announced a coalition with

one month before the elections.

2009 local elections

For the 2009 local elections in Rijeka, Ljevica joined with the

and the

Women's Democratic Party Women's Democratic Party ( hr, Demokratska stranka žena or DSŽ) is a women's rights political organization founded in Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and to ...

for the

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

local elections In many parts of the world, local elections take place to select office-holders in local government, such as mayors and councillors. Elections to positions within a city or town are often known as "municipal elections". Their form and conduct vary ...

Electoral history

References

{{Croatian political parties 2001 establishments in Croatia Anti-fascism in Croatia Anti-fascist organizations Democratic socialist parties in Europe Political parties established in 2001 Socialist parties in Croatia