Some opposition leaders commented on Monday on the Constitutional Court's conclusion that President Zoran Milanovic may not participate in the political activities of a political party during his term of office.

The leader of the IDS party, Dalibor Paus, warned of the potential damage that Milanovic’s announcement to run for prime minister as a candidate of the SDP-led coalition while he is president could have on the democratic process in the country.

“Milanovic’s candidacy and participation in the election campaign while holding an office that does not require affiliation with a political party poses a direct threat not only to the legitimate functioning of these institutions, but also to the constitutional order. I consider such a step to be as harmful as the political manoeuvre carried out by the HDZ with the appointment of Ivan Turudic as State Attorney- General,” said Paus.

The leader of the MOST party, Bozo Petrov, said that the decision of the Constitutional Court was as expected, as it was meant to protect the interests of all citizens and not to support one political camp.

“If you want to participate in the parliamentary elections, you should resign as president. I think this is logical and Zoran Milanovic was aware of this,” Petrov said, describing Milanovic’s announcement as a “sketch to improve the rating” of the SDP party and its partners.

Petrov “amused by the panic in the ruling HDZ party”

Petrov said Milanovic’s role as president was to represent the state and protect the interests of all citizens, without calculation.

“He should warn about the problem Croatia is facing, but not be rooted in one political camp. We are not in a dictatorship and not all citizens support the same political camp,” Petrov said, adding that he was amused by the panic in the ruling HDZ party.

Petrov added that the HDZ and SDP are “on one side”, while the MOST Coalition and the Croatian Sovereignists are “on the other side”, “on the side of citizens who stand up for family values.”

The coordinator of the Mozemo party, Sandra Bencic, said that the decision of the Constitutional Court was as expected, but it was not clear in the part concerning the ban on participation in the election campaign.

“The part (about campaigning) is not entirely clear as to what is considered campaigning and what is considered normal criticism of the state authorities by the president, regardless of whether a campaign is underway or not,” Bencic said.

Mozemo party: Nothing has changed for us

She said she hopes the ban does not apply to what is considered normal speech and normal, permissible criticism of government agencies.

Bencic believes Milanovic will abide by the Constitutional Court’s order.

“I would like to believe that all actors, both those who agree with the Constitutional Court’s decision and those who disagree with it, are mature enough and that we as a country are mature enough to respect it,” she said, emphasising that this is important for the survival of state institutions and for fundamental rights, such as the right to vote and stand for election.

Bencic did not want to answer the hypothetical question of what would happen if Milanovic did not abide by the Constitutional Court’s decision.

“Nothing has changed for us as a result of Milanovic’s announcement, we will run alone in the elections, while we are negotiating joint lists with the SDP in four constituencies,” she said.

Stipo Mlinaric, MP for the Domovinski pokret party, also said that the Constitutional Court’s decision was as expected and that Milanovic had achieved his goal of uniting the left.

Speaking to the press, Mlinaric said that the president and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic “have hijacked all the institutions of this state, including this Constitutional Court”

“The left will remain privileged in the upcoming elections”

The judges of the Constitutional Court are elected by a two-thirds majority in parliament, he said. “The reaction of the Constitutional Court today shows that they are not experts. If four judges think differently, we have a problem, namely the problem that the judges are elected by an agreement between the HDZ and SDP parties.”

When asked whether Croatia is in a constitutional crisis, Mlinaric said that this depends on what Milanovic will do and that this will not affect the election result. However, he added that despite the Constitutional Court’s judgement, the left will remain privileged in the upcoming elections, given Milanovic’s role.

“Milanovic will probably use every mechanism he has as president to show up at press conferences and criticise. That is his business, but the most important thing is the Croatian citizens, they have the power,” said Mlinaric, urging citizens not to fall for fabricated divisions.