Croatian Parties Use War Veterans to Woo Voters

Croatian parties have put a number of veterans from independence war of the 1990s on their candidates' lists for the parliamentary elections due in November.

The Patriotic Coalition, led by strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, is putting at least one war veteran on all its lists.

Croatian is divided into ten constituencies located inside the country, plus an 11th constituency for the diaspora and for Croats in Bosnia and Hercegovina.

The Patriotic Coalition has put Zeljko Glasnovic, retired general of the Croatian Army, HV, and of Bosnian Croat army, Croatian Defence Council, HVO, on its list for 11th constituency.

It has put another retired general, Damir Krsticevic, on its list for 10th constituency in the region of southern Dalmatia. He was the commander of the well-known 4th Guard Brigade, nicknamed the Spiders.

The governing centre-left Croatia Grows coalition, led by the Social Democratic Party, SDP, has also put a number of war veterans and officers on its lists.

In the 10th constituency, Croatia Grows has put Defence Minister Ante Kotromanovic, a retired colonel and Krsticevic's subordinate in the same Spiders brigade.

Krsticevic was retired in 2000 by Stjepan Mesic, then the Croatian president, after signing a public letter along with 11 other generals, condemning the way in which some media, politicians and institutions treated the 1990s war of independence.

The leftist coalition has put other prominent war veterans on its list, such as Interior Minister Ranko Ostojic and his colleague, the War Veterans' Minister, Predrag Matic.

The small right-wing Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja, HDSSB, has meanwhile put the notorious figure of Branimir Glavas on its...