Stjepan Mesić

Stjepan Mesić (born the December 24th 1934 with Orahovica, in Croatia, at the time Yugoslavia), more usually called Mesić Feather-grass, is a Croatian politician whom one can classify of center-left. He is president of the Croatia since the February 18th 2000 and was re-elected the January 16th 2005 for second a five years mandate.

First years

Stjepan Mesić was born with Orahovica, in Slavonie. After the death of his mother in 1934 it is sent in France in his uncle with his sister.

It makes its studies with the Faculty of Law of Zagreb. After being become lawyer, he works with Orahovica and Našice. He finishes his military service and works like judges municipal.

He marries Milka Dudunić of which he will have 2 girls.

He moves with Zagreb to work for the company “Univerzal” as a director of the general affairs what implied, in the communist Yugoslavia, his alignment with the Ligue of the Communists of Yugoslavia.

In 1966, it is presented as an independent candidate to the municipal elections and beats the two other candidates of the Communist party and the socialist union of the workers. In 1967, he becomes mayor of Orahovica and member of the Croatian Parlement. As a mayor, it tries to build a factory on private funds but the project is stopped by Tito because perceived like an attempt at introduction of capitalism, which was illegal within sight of the constitution of then.

In 1967, when a group of linguists publishes a Déclaration concerning the Croatian language , Mesić denounces it publicly as being an attack with the principle founder of the Yugoslavia and calls with the judgment of its authors. However, to the beginning of the year 1970, Mesić bring its supports with the Croatian Printemps which, making following this “declaration”, calls with more rights for the Croatia in Yugoslavia concerning economics, politics and the culture. The government then charges it with acts of enemy propaganda . In spite of the fact that only 5 of the 55 witnesses decide against him, he is condemned to one year and two months of prison. He appeals but he is imprisoned in 1975, for one year, with the prison of Stara Gradiška. At its coming out of prison, it will not reappear in the public life.

Changes of the years 1990

Absent from the political life since the beginning of the years 1970, Stjepan Mesić takes part in 1990 in the creation of the Croatian democratic Union (HDZ) in the sides of Franjo Tuđman. It becomes this same year general secretary of this party then Prime Minister of Croatia of May to August 1990 at the time of the first elections multi-party in Croatia since the Second world war. It leaves this station to take share with the federal presidency of the Yugoslavia, as a vice-president.

Presidency turning annually between the various Yugoslav republics, the Serb president Borisav Jović request, when it tower of Croatia arrives, that an election is held. Four members oppose the nomination from Mesić (Serbia, Montenegro, Vojvodine, and Kosovo) and four support it (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzégovine and Macedonia). The organization of an election being regarded as unconstitutional, the mediator of the European Community persuades Jović to give up its request and Mesić is named president. It becomes thus, in 1991, the last president of socialist Yugoslavia.

When the Croatia declares its independence in 1991, Mesić leaves its position of president because it was obvious that the socialist Federal republic of Yugoslavia did not exist any more as for the Croatia. It returns to Croatia and it is elected, in 1992, at the Parliament (the “Sabor”) of which it chairs the Lower House. Quickly, it is scrambled with president Tuđman whom it shows to yield to the most nationalist branch of the HDZ like arranging itself with Slobodan Milošević on the division of the Bosnia-Herzégovine. He criticizes also privatizations in time of war, their lack of transparency and the profits of war which they generate. In 1994, Mesić leaves HDZ to form a new party, the independent Démocrates Croatian (HND), before joining, in 1997, with the majority of the member of its party the Croatian Popular party (HNS).

President de Croatie

With the Croatian presidential elections of 2000, he was elected president of Croatia while beating with the second turn Dražen Budiša, of the Croatian social Liberal party (HSLS). Mesić was the common candidate of the Croatian Popular party (HNS), of the Parti Country Croat (HSS), of the Liberal party (LS) and of the democratic Congrès istrien (IDS).

He criticized hard the policy of the former president Franjo Tuđman, holding it for nationalist and authoritative, depriving of freedom of the media and following a bad economic policy. Mesić supported the overseas investments then and followed a more liberal policy for Croatia.

In September 2000, following the committal for trial of the International penal court for ex-Yugoslavia (TPIY) and as a president, it put 7 Croatian Generals at the retirement, of which Ante Gotovina, who had written two open letters showing the government of to conduct campaign for criminaliser the war of independence and to show and neglect the Croatian army . Mesić affirmed that officers could not write letters public policies without the agreement of the commander-in-chief. The opposition of extreme-right-hand side and the HDZ criticized this measurement, showing it to endanger the national security. Mesić confirmed its decision and reiterated it by putting at the retirement 4 other generals.

After the constitutional amendments adopted in September 2000, it lost many of its capacities as regards interior policy, which are transferred to the Prime Minister and the other members from the Government.

Mesić was heard like witness with the International penal court for ex-Yugoslavia (TPIY) concerning the actions of the Croatian army in Bosnia-Herzégovine. The line wonders about its reasons and disputes the veracity of its testimony; she shows it to be a “ traître ”.

Very active as regards foreign politics, Mesić defended the project of entry of the Croatia in the European Union. It also was at the origin of the excuses to the president of the Serbia and Montenegro, on behalf of Croatia, for the possible war crimes. It was reserved about the military intervention of the the United States of America in Iraq and recommended an action under the aegis of UNO. It developed relations with the Libya and returned visit several time to the colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, against the opinion of the the United Kingdom and the European diplomacy.

Following the legislative elections of 2003 and nomination of Ivo Sanader at the post of Prime Minister, it must cohabit with this one.

With the presidential elections Croatian of 2005, Mesić was re-elected president with the second turn, against Jadranka Kosor, with 65,93% of the voices, after having almost obtained the majority (48,92%) as of the first turn. Its mandate expires in 2010.

February 12th, 2007, he east declares “ dismayed ” by a declaration of the Italian president, Giorgio Napolitano, at the time of the day of the Memory which commemorated, in Italy, the Massacres of the foibe, the previous on February 10th. He showed Italy of revisionism and revanchism.

See too

List of the current leaders

External bond

Stjepan Mesić - biography

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