Kristina Ikić Baniček () (born 22 September 1975) is a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n politician who has been mayor of

Sisak Sisak (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in central Croatia, spanning the confluence of the Kupa, Sava and Odra rivers, southeast of the Croatian capital Zagreb, and is usually considered to be where the Posavina (Sava basin ...

since 2013 to 2025. She is a member of the center-left

Social Democratic Party of Croatia The Social Democratic Party of Croatia (, SDP) is a Social democracy, social democratic political party in Croatia. The SDP is Anti-fascism, anti-fascist, Progressivism, progressive, and strongly Pro-Europeanism, pro-European. The SDP was forme ...

(SDP).

Early life and education

Kristina Ikić Baniček was born in the town of

on 22 September 1975. After finishing elementary and high school in her hometown, she moved to the Croatian capital of

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, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

where she attended University Department for Croatian Studies of the

University of Zagreb The University of Zagreb (, ) is a public university, public research university in Zagreb, Croatia. It is the largest Croatian university and one of the oldest continuously operating universities in Europe. The University of Zagreb and the Unive ...

where she eventually graduated sociology and croatology (cultural study program dedicated to the study of Croatian cultural and national identity).

Career

In 2002, Ikić Baniček started working as a counselor for EU funds in the Croatian mine action center. Between 2001 and 2005, she served as a councilwoman at the Assembly of the

Sisak-Moslavina County Sisak-Moslavina County () is a Croatian 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. According to the 2021 census, it is inhabited by 140, ...

, and between 2005 and 2013 as a councilwoman in the Council of the City of Sisak. At the 2013 local elections she contested 10-year mayor of Sisak, conservative Dinko Pintarić ( HDZ), lost first round, but surprisingly emerged as a winner in the second round. She was reelected at the 2017 local elections. In 1996, she got involved in the work of SDP Youth Forum, and has been active in the SDP's Sisak branch since 1999.

Other

On 25 June 2017, during the celebration of the

Anti-Fascist Struggle Day Anti-Fascist Struggle Day () is a public holiday in Croatia. It is observed on 22 June and commemorates the formation of the First Sisak Partisan Detachment, a Communist-led guerrilla unit during World War II in Yugoslavia on 22 June 1941, and i ...

in the woods of Brezovica near Sisak, Ikić Baniček during her speech publicly criticized Mayor of Zagreb

Milan Bandić Milan Bandić (22 November 1955 – 28 February 2021) was a Croatian politician and the longest-serving mayor of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. Bandić was mayor almost continuously from 2000 to 2021, except during the time between his resignati ...

stating: "The relativisation of Ustasha crimes has gone so far that some self-proclaimed anti-fascists (referring to Bandić) give the city awkward. They hypocritically come here among us and lay wreaths, while rewarding Ustasha counterfeiters such as

Jakov Sedlar Jakov Sedlar (born 6 November 1952) is a Croatian film director and Film producer, producer. A former cultural attaché during the 1990s in the Franjo Tuđman government, his documentaries promote Croatian nationalism, Croatian nationalist views t ...

. (...) You cannot be a salonist anti-fascist and if necessary put an anti-fascist badge on lapel, and then remove it the next day. Anti-fascism is an attitude that is not subject to various interpretations depending on the situation. One must always fight against evil everywhere, and not look away with one eye, if, for example, one misses five hands in the Assembly" (referring to Bandić's coalition with 5

Zagreb Assembly The City Assembly of the City of Zagreb (, short: GSGZ) is the lawmaking body of the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It consists of 47 members who were elected by universal suffrage and secret ballot at 2021 elections for a term of four years. Th ...

's conservative councilors from the

Independents for Croatia The Independents for Croatia ( or NHR) is an inactive conservative and right-wing populist political party in Croatia. The Party was founded on 1 June 2017, and officially registered with the Ministry of Public Administration on 2 June 2017. Hist ...

party whose member is among others

Zlatko Hasanbegović Zlatko Hasanbegović (; born 14 June 1973) is a Croatian politician and historian who has served as a member of the Croatian Parliament since 2016. He served as Minister of Culture in the cabinet of Tihomir Orešković from 22 January to 19 Octob ...

who was accused of relativizing Ustashe crimes committed during WWII).

Private life

Kristina Ikić Baniček lives in Sisak with her husband Darko Baniček and their two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banicek, Kristina Ikic 1975 births People from Sisak Living people Mayors of places in Croatia Social Democratic Party of Croatia politicians