In an interview with Večernji List, the former Croatian President hinted at the possibility of his return…
As 24sata reported on the 20th of August, 2017, Ivo Josipović did not deny the possibility of his candidacy for President. Asked if he could win again in an interview with Večernji List, Ivo Josipović said that he could.
Asked whether there was any truth in the rumours that he will run again, Josipović responded: ”The Presidential elections are far away, there won’t be any profiled candidates for another year yet.”
The Zagreb born composer, legal expert and jurist, who served as the President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015, did not deny the possibility. When presented with the question of whether or not he could win again, Ivo Josipović said he could, especially if the Left did not have a strong candidate. That candidate, whoever it may be, according to Josipović, must also have SDP’s support.
The 59 year old former President explained that he was still on the political scene, although he’s not currently involved in performing any duties in the field.
“I did not leave [politics], nor do I intend to.” concluded Dr. Ivo Josipović.
Otherwise, the musician and former university professor entered politics as a member of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia and played a significant role in the transformation of the League of Communists of Croatia into the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Josipović left the world of politics in 1994, returning nine years later in 2003 and managing to win a seat in the Croatian Parliament as an independent candidate on SDP’s list, winning re-election to Parliament again in 2007.
In January 2008, his first term in Parliament came to an end and he ran in the 2009/2010 presidential election as a Social Democrat candidate. He managed to go as far as to enter into the run-off with the seemingly (to this day) unstoppable, controversial populist Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić.
Josipović’s campaign was Nova Pravednost (New Justice) which promoted a new legal framework in an attempt to tackle general social injustice and corruption. In February 2008, Josipović was inaugurated at St. Marks Square in Zagreb.
He sought re-election in the 2014/2015 elections, but lost in the run-off by a margin to Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Croatia’s first female President. He is the first Croatian President to not be re-elected to a second term.
Excerpts taken and translated from 24sata.hr
