Croatian HDZ Names Woman Presidential Hopeful

HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko said on Thursday after a party meeting in the eastern Croatian town of Vukovar that the opposition centre-right party had taken a brave decision in putting up a woman as candidate for the country's presidency.

“She belongs to the HDZ, to the people’s party and to Christian Democratic milieu. And she’s a woman," he said.

"We’re bravely putting a woman up front, despite some who say that Croatian society is not ready for a woman in that position. We think it is ready and that she’ll win,” he added.

Since 2011, Grabar Kitarovic has been working as assistant to the Secretary-General of NATO. She was the Croatian ambassador to the US between 2008 and 2011.

Grabar Kitarovic is best known as a former Foreign Minister and Minister of European Integration in the government of Ivo Sanader from 2005 to 2008.

She defended the now disgraced premier till the end of the corruption trial that found him guilty. She even wrote an opinion for the Washington Post defending his innocence.

For months the media has speculated that Grabar Kitarovic could be HDZ's candidate for the elections for President that are scheduled to take place at the end of the year.

According to latest public opinion poll, Grabar Kitatovic is the second most popular candidate for president with support of around 29 per cent of the voters, behind the acting President, Ivo Josipovic, who is well ahead on just over 50 per cent.

Political analyst Davor Gjenero told Balkan Insight that the candidacy of Grabar Kitarovic was a positive turning point for Croatian democracy.

“For the first time in Croatia’s history, two major presidential candidates come from the centre, Josipovic on the...