New Croatian Party Drito Unveiled in Zagreb

The news in Croatian

1. predstaviti
   nekome prvi put pokazati ili opisati osobu, stvar ili ideju kako bi drugi saznali tko ili što je to ↩︎
2. politički
   koji se odnosi na politiku, državnu vlast ili vođenje države ↩︎
3. zastupnica  (f.)
   žena koja službeno predstavlja i brani interese neke skupine ili birača u parlamentu ili drugom tijelu ↩︎
4. gospodarstvo  (n.)
   ukupnost proizvodnje, trgovine i usluga u jednoj državi ili području ↩︎
5. iseljenik  (m.)
   osoba koja je otišla živjeti i raditi u drugu državu ↩︎
6. digitalan
   koji je povezan s računalima, internetom ili tehnologijom koja koristi podatke u elektroničkom obliku ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: Who is the leader of the new political party Drito?

Question 2: What kind of voters does the party especially want to attract?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
predstaviti	to present
politički	political
zastupnica  (f.)	(female) member of parliament
gospodarstvo  (n.)	economy
iseljenik  (m.)	emigrant
digitalan	digital

Read the full story

A new Croatian political party called Drito has been formally presented in Zagreb by its president, Marija Selak Raspudić, a member of the Croatian parliament. The party, which was previously registered under her own name, now has a new title and a published programmatic declaration setting out its political goals.

Selak Raspudić said that Drito aims to gather people who want to continue a serious “political struggle” and who are not interested in what Croatians often call “žetoniziranje i pretrčavanje” – a colloquial phrase used in Croatia for MPs changing party groups or supporting governments in exchange for benefits. According to her, the party wants to show that Croatian politics is not limited to such behaviour and that there is space for new people and ideas.

The new name “Drito” comes from a Croatian colloquial word meaning roughly “straight” or “direct”. Selak Raspudić and her husband, MP Nino Raspudić, explained that the inspiration was the well-known Croatian architect Nikola Bašić. In their professional correspondence, Bašić reportedly signed off emails with the phrase “stojte mi drito”, which they understood as a call to stand upright and act directly in difficult circumstances. Over time, the word became an internal motto for the political group and eventually the party’s name.

Posters announcing the rebranding have already appeared in the capital with the slogan “Ni Pavelić ni Tito, samo Drito”. The line refers to Ante Pavelić, leader of the World War II fascist regime, and Josip Broz Tito, the communist leader of socialist Yugoslavia. With this slogan, the party leadership says it wants to distance itself from both far-right and far-left historical traditions and position itself in what they describe as a moderate political centre.

The choice of name has raised questions because Drito is also the name of a popular Croatian music festival. Journalists asked whether the party feared a legal dispute. Selak Raspudić replied that the party was not named after the festival and argued that both simply used a common Croatian word. She compared the situation with other Croatian parties using everyday nouns such as Centar (Centre), Most (Bridge), Glas (Voice) and Fokus (Focus), and stated that lawyers had checked the issue and found no legal conflict.

In its declaration, Drito uses strong language to describe its role in national politics, portraying itself as a challenge to what it calls a long‑standing division between left and right blocs. The document uses a biblical image, presenting the party as a “stone from David’s sling” directed at a corrupt political system. This metaphor reflects the party’s ambition to appear as a fresh alternative to what it describes as a “red‑black” political landscape dominated by two main camps. These statements represent the party’s own interpretation of the Croatian political scene; other parties have different views on the state of democracy and corruption in the country.

On policy, Drito’s vice‑president Pero Guberac, who has experience as both an entrepreneur and a hospital employee, highlighted several priorities. Among them are lower tax burdens, a reduced role for the state in the economy and efforts to encourage the return of Croatian emigrants, especially to the eastern region of Slavonia, which has suffered from depopulation and economic difficulties. Guberac pointed to underused agricultural land in Slavonian villages and argued that Croatia should become more self‑sufficient in producing healthy food.

Nino Raspudić, a university lecturer and media commentator turned MP, told reporters that the party plans to address what it calls “concrete and contemporary problems”, including the advantages and risks of digital technologies. He described Drito as the final stage in the political organisation of a team that previously ran in national and local elections as independent candidates, achieving noticeable but not dominant results in those contests. He argued that with a clear name, visual identity and formal declaration, Drito is now ready to act as what he hopes will be a “relevant political force”.

The party leadership presents Drito as a movement that includes a cross‑section of Croatian society. Besides the leading couple, the main figures include vice‑president Guberac; party secretary Dragana Turkalj, a teacher of Croatian and Czech; and several local representatives. These local figures range from university staff and market research professionals to engineers, managers and former athletes. The party emphasises their varied backgrounds as proof that it is not limited to a single social or professional group.

In the Zagreb City Assembly, Drito is represented by members such as Josip Periša, Mislav Krasić, Eliška Djokićova and Milka Rimac Bilušić. Their professional experience includes philosophy, economics, international relations, human resources and financial analysis. On the regional level, Drito has a presence in the Zagreb County Assembly and in the city of Velika Gorica through councillors with backgrounds in geodesy, mechanical engineering and corporate management.

Periša used the presentation to call on young people to enter politics. He listed everyday challenges such as high housing costs, separation from parents, education and finding a job, and said that the party leadership wants to stay close to these realities rather than, as he put it, living in “ivory towers” away from ordinary life. The party hopes that this message will appeal to younger voters who are often described in Croatian media as disappointed with politics or considering emigration.

For observers outside Croatia, the appearance of Drito adds another actor to an already fragmented party landscape. Croatia has many registered parties, and new groups often try to present themselves as an alternative to the established centre‑left and centre‑right blocs. Whether Drito will succeed in turning its declared centrist position, emphasis on anti‑corruption and focus on digital and economic issues into lasting electoral support remains to be seen and will depend on future elections and coalition negotiations.

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