Ljubo Ćesić (born 20 February 1958), best known by his nickname Rojs, is a retired

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 ...

n army general and politician.

Military service

A native Herzegovinian Croat, Ćesić moved to

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital and largest city of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb stands near the international border between Croatia and Slov ...

in 1984, where he got a job as a bus driver. He came into public spotlight during the 1990s and

Yugoslav Wars The Yugoslav Wars were a series of separate but related Naimark (2003), p. xvii. ethnic conflicts, wars of independence, and insurgencies that took place in the SFR Yugoslavia from 1991 to 2001. The conflicts both led up to and resulted from ...

( Croatian War of Independence and Bosnian War) as commander of the 66th Engineering Regiment of the

Croatian Army The Croatian Army ( hr, Hrvatska kopnena vojska or HKoV) is the largest and most significant component of the Croatian Armed Forces (CAF). Role and deployment The fundamental role and purpose of the Croatian Army is to protect vital national i ...

. His unit built mountain roads on the border between the two countries, which ultimately allowed Croatian Army to outflank the Serb Krajina and Bosnian Serb forces during and after

Operation Storm }) was the last major battle of the Croatian War of Independence and a major factor in the outcome of the Bosnian War. It was a decisive victory for the Croatian Army (HV), which attacked across a front against the self-declared proto-state Re ...

in August 1995. For his exploits, Ćesić was promoted to the rank of general. His critics often point out the fact that before the war, he was a bus driver, becoming the official driver of Croatia's defence minister Gojko Šušak in 1991, after which he was given military command despite lack of formal qualification.

Post-war

His post-war activities included the use of his unit for civilian contracts and the alleged breach of labour and other laws did not prevent Ćesić from rising through the ranks of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) political party.

Political activities

In the early 2000s, while a member of

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 Sab ...

, Ćesić gradually began distancing himself from

Ivo Sanader Ivo Sanader (born 8 June 1953) is a former Croatian politician who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009. He is to date the second longest-serving prime minister since independence, holding the office for over five and a half ye ...

and the new centrist course of HDZ. He nevertheless formally remained in the party, while keeping himself in public spotlight with a series of statements that were as colorful as they were controversial. One example was his public offer to

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to volunteer in the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

. One of his controversial public episodes was an altercation and alleged physical attack on a fellow parliament member Dino Debeljuh in 2001, which resulted in Ljubo Ćesić's removal from that day's parliament session. In the 2005 presidential election he ran as an independent candidate. During the campaign he claimed to be in contact with the general

Ante Gotovina Ante Gotovina (born 12 October 1955) is a Croatian retired lieutenant general and former French senior corporal who served in the Croatian War for Independence. He is noted for his primary role in the 1995 Operation Storm. In 2001, the Internat ...

, at the time a fugitive wanted on war crimes charges, which prompted a police inquiry. Ćesić eventually finished 6th in the first round with 1.85% of the votes cast. Ćesić has since left HDZ and is currently a member of

Only Croatia – Movement for Croatia Only Croatia – Movement for Croatia ( hr, Jedino Hrvatska – Pokret za Hrvatsku) is a defunct political party in Croatia, formed in 2007. The party was established by disaffected founding members of the HDZ, the Croatian Bloc (which extingu ...

. After his political career he started appearing in numerous comedy shows on Croatian television such as Robert Knjaz's ''Mjenjačnica'', in which two or more celebrities exchange lives with each other for a brief period of time. In the episode where he appeared, his companion was Croatia's most famous and controversial stylist Neven Ciganović.

Honours

Orders

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cesic-Rojs, Ljubo 1958 births Living people People from Posušje Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina Croatian army officers Military personnel of the Croatian War of Independence Croatian Democratic Union politicians Candidates for President of Croatia Order of Ante Starčević recipients Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament