The Key of Croatia
The Key of Croatia (Croatian: Ključ Hrvatske) is a populist political party in Croatia, formed out of an anti-eviction group of the same name. The party changed its name on 21 May 2022 from its then name Human Shield (Croatian: Živi zid, literally translated as "Living Wall") the group opposes foreclosures by occupying property and forming a "human shield", hence the name. The party was founded on 2 June 2011.[6][7][2][8][9]
The Key of Croatia Ključ Hrvatske | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Ivan Vilibor Sinčić |
| Founder | Ivan Pernar |
| Founded | 2 June 2011 |
| Headquarters | Savska cesta 41 Zagreb, Croatia |
| Membership (2020) | 637[1] |
| Ideology | |
| European affiliation | European Alliance for Freedom and Democracy |
| Colours | Gold Grey |
| Sabor | 0 / 151 |
| European Parliament | 1 / 12 |
| Website | |
| kljuchrvatske | |
The party grew out of the organization that operated until 2014 as the Alliance for Change (Croatian: Savez za promjene).[10] The organization formed into a party ahead of the 2014–15 presidential election, supporting the candidacy of Ivan Vilibor Sinčić.
The party refuses to be characterized as being left or right and claims adherence to humanist values.[11]
Ideology and principles
The party has been described as having "praised the writings of David Icke" and "pushed a number of conspiracy theories about chemtrails and vaccinations".[12] An article for the magazine Jacobin by Juraj Katalenac described the party as a populist group that "is often portrayed as part of the left, but it offers more conspiracies theories than progressive policies."[13]
The party believes that the current monetary system is unfair and unsustainable because it is based on money as debt, i.e. all the money in circulation comes as a loan with an interest rate that never went into circulation (only principal did), which is, according to the party, the cause of many evictions in Croatia.
The party stands for:[11]
- realization of the monetary sovereignty of the Republic of Croatia and the implementation of a non-credit monetary system;
- implementation of a fair and efficient judicial system, and in particular the prohibition of inhumane and unconstitutional enforcement procedures, enforcement of the only home and secret procedures of state bodies;
- respecting the dignity, freedoms and rights of citizens, regardless of religious and ethnic affiliation, age, gender or social status;
- the development of a just society, and especially the protection of citizens from the oppressive, corrupt and arbitrary actions of state bodies;
- protection of cultural and natural heritage and human environment;
- realization of the guaranteed rights of people to health care, education, social care, work, family and other rights;
- realization and protection of the rights of workers, people who live from work and on the basis of their work;
- implementation of renewable energy sources;
- protection of animal rights.
Electoral results
Presidential elections
| Presidency of Croatia | ||||||
| Election year | Candidate | First Round | Second Round | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of
overall votes |
% of
overall vote |
# of
overall votes |
% of
overall vote | |||
| 2014–15 | Ivan Vilibor Sinčić | 293,570 | 16.4 (#3) | |||
Parliament (Sabor)
| Election | In coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Coalition totals) | (ŽZ only) | |||||
| 2011 (December) | (as Savez za promjene)
A-HSS, DPS |
15,379 | 0.63 | 0 / 151 |
 0 |
Extra-parliamentary opposition |
| 2015 (November) | None | 94,877 | 4.24 (#4) | 1 / 151 |
 1 |
Opposition |
| 2016 (September) | Let's Change Croatia, Youth Action,
Alphabet of Democracy, HDSS, Međimurje Party |
117,208 | 6.23 (#4) | 8 / 151 |
7 |
Opposition |
| 2020 (July) | (as 'Enough of Robbery')
SIP, NLSP, Let's Change Croatia, HSS SR, HSSČKŠ, ZSZ, Youth Action |
37,628 | 2.26 (#7) | 0 / 151 |
 8 |
Extra-parliamentary Opposition |
European Parliament
| Election | In coalition with | Votes won | Percentage | Seats won | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 2013 | ASH-DSŽ-SUH | 6,391 | 0.86% (#14) | 0 / 12 |
|
| May 2014 | None
(as Savez za promjene) |
4,313 | 0.47 (#10) | 0 / 11 |
|
| May 2019 | None | 60,847 | 5.7 (#5) | 1 / 12 |
1 |
References
- "Izvješće o obavljenoj financijskoj reviziji - Živi zid za 2020" (PDF). State Audit Office (in Croatian). 25 November 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
- "Živi zid: socijal-populizam na hrvatski način" (in Croatian). Tportal. 21 January 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Croatia". Parties and Elections in Europe.
- "Živi zid se i dalje zalaže za izlazak Hrvatske iz EU i NATO" (in Serbian). Blic. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
- "Croatia". Europe Elects. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- Milekic, Sven (14 October 2015), "'Outsider' Parties to Influence Croatia Poll Outcome", BalkanInsightPrelec, Tena (7–9 November 2015). "Croatian elections: a final look at the parties and the campaign". EuroPP – European Politics and Policy. London School of Economics and Political Science. Comment.Neubert, Nils (28 December 2014). "Croatians disillusioned with politics - and the EU". DW.
- Zulianello, Mattia (2020). "Varieties of Populist Parties and Party Systems in Europe: From State-of-the-Art to the Application of a Novel Classification Scheme to 66 Parties in 33 Countries". Government and Opposition. 55 (2): 327–347. doi:10.1017/gov.2019.21. S2CID 200013354.
- "Year of registration" (in Croatian). Živi zid. 2014. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
- "Sinčić: Živi zid mijenja ime u Ključ Hrvatske" [Sinčić: The Human Shield changes its name to The Key of Croatia]. N1 (in Croatian). 21 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
- "Središnji državni ured za razvoj digitalnog društva - Političke stranke i izbori" (in Croatian). Digured.hr. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- "Statut" [Statute] (PDF). Ključ Hrvatske. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
- Oltermann, Philip; Walker, Shaun; Giuffrida, Angela (27 May 2019). "An NBA star, a TV chef and a comedian: meet some of the new MEPs". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
- Katalenac, Juraj (15 December 2016). "Neoliberalism in the Rose Garden". Jacobin. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
External links
- Official website (in Croatian)
