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Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske
Abbreviation SDP
President Peđa Grbin
Vice Presidents
Founder Ivica Račan
Founded 3 November 1990; 34 years ago (1990-11-03)
Preceded by League of Communists of Croatia
Headquarters Trg Drage Iblera 9, Zagreb
Youth wing SDP Youth Forum
Membership (2020) 32,000
Ideology Social democracy
Progressivism
Political position Centre-left
National affiliation Rivers of Justice
(since 2010)
European affiliation Party of European Socialists
International affiliation
European Parliament group Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Colors      Red
Slogan "Sloboda. Jednakost. Solidarnost." ("Freedom. Equality. Solidarity.")
Sabor
37 / 151
European Parliament
4 / 12
County Prefects
2 / 21
Mayors
22 / 128
Municipalities
53 / 428
Party flag
Flag of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia

The Social Democratic Party of Croatia (Croatian: Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske, often called SDP) is a major political party in Croatia. It believes in social democracy, which means it supports fairness, equality, and helping people in society. The SDP also supports new ideas and is very much in favor of Europe.

The party started in 1990. It came from an older party called the League of Communists of Croatia, which used to govern Croatia when it was part of Yugoslavia. The SDP first won elections in 2000 and formed a government led by Ivica Račan. After being in opposition for eight years, they won again in 2011. They formed a new government with their partners, led by Zoran Milanović.

Later, after the 2015 elections, the SDP went back into opposition. Some important members of the SDP have held high positions. For example, Ivo Josipović, a former SDP member, was the President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015. Another member, Neven Mimica, worked as a European Commissioner, helping with international cooperation.

The SDP is part of several international groups. These include the Party of European Socialists (PES), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament, the Progressive Alliance (PA), and the Socialist International (SI).

The SDP's Journey: A Look at Its History

How the SDP Started in the Early 1990s

Ivica Račan
Ivica Račan, who founded the SDP and was Croatia's Prime Minister from 2000 to 2003.

The SDP was created on November 3, 1990. It was formed by a group from the former League of Communists of Croatia (SKH). This group wanted to create a party that focused on social democracy.

The SKH delegation, led by Ivica Račan, left a big meeting in January 1990. They disagreed with the Serbian delegation about how Yugoslavia should be organized.

Around the same time, Croatia was getting ready for its first multi-party elections. In February 1990, the parliament in Croatia allowed many political parties to exist. The SKH changed its name to the "Party of Democratic Reform" (SKH-SDP). In the 1990 election, they came in second place.

On November 3, 1990, the party officially became the "Social Democratic Party" (SDP). In the August 1992 election, the SDP won 5.52% of the votes and 11 seats in parliament. In 1993, they changed their name slightly to "Social Democratic Party," which they still use today.

Joining Forces: The Merger with SDH

In 1990, another party called the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDSH) was also founded. This party wanted Croatia to become independent from Yugoslavia. It was one of the few parties that called itself "left-wing." Many smart people helped start this party.

In the 1990 election, SDSH did not win many seats. However, they were strong enough to get some government jobs. Before the 1992 elections, SDSH and SDP had disagreements about their names. The election showed that SDP was much stronger. This led to SDSH joining SDP in April 1994.

In the 1995 election, the SDP won 8.93% of the votes and 10 seats in parliament. They came in fourth place overall.

Leading Croatia: The Račan Government (2000–2003)

In August 1998, the leaders of SDP and another party, HSLS, agreed to work together. They ran in the January 2000 elections as a team. This group won the election with 38.7% of the votes and 71 seats.

The SDP and HSLS then formed a government with four other parties. Ivica Račan, as the leader of the strongest party, became the Prime Minister. During this time, the government worked to change the constitution several times.

In July 2002, the government broke apart. This happened because HSLS did not support an agreement with Slovenia. A new government was formed later that month, with members from the remaining parties. This government stayed in power until the next elections in November 2003. The SDP lost to another party, HDZ, and went back into opposition.

The 2000 election win was a big moment for Croatia. It was the first time power changed hands peacefully in Croatia's new democracy. Račan's government was seen as very supportive of Western countries. During their time in power, Croatia signed an agreement with the European Union. This helped Croatia get closer to joining the EU.

In Opposition: The Years 2003–2011

16 obljetnica vojnoredarstvene operacije Oluja Ivo Josipovic 04082011 c 876
Ivo Josipović, who was the President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015.
Flag of the Social Democratic Party
This was the flag of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia from 2005 to 2008.

In the 2005 presidential election, the SDP supported Stjepan Mesić. He won his second term as president with a large number of votes.

In 2007, the party faced a sad event: their long-time leader, Ivica Račan, passed away. He had been sick with cancer. After his death, Zoran Milanović was chosen as the new leader of the party. He won against other important candidates.

For the November 2007 election, the SDP had an economic plan. They came in second place, just behind the HDZ party. Even though they didn't win the most seats, they became the largest opposition party.

In the June 2009 local elections, the SDP did well in some important cities. They won in places like Dubrovnik and Vukovar, which were usually strongholds for other parties. They also kept control of economically strong areas like Zagreb and Rijeka.

Before the 2009–10 presidential election, the SDP held a special vote to choose their candidate. Ivo Josipović won this vote. He then went on to win the presidential election in 2010.

Leading Again: The Milanović Government (2011–2015)

Jerneić, Hrelja, Milanović, Tireli, Grčić signing coalition agreement
Milanović with other members of the Croatia is Growing coalition, signing an agreement on September 8, 2015.

In 2010, the SDP formed a group called the Kukuriku coalition with three other parties. They worked together for the December 2011 election. This group won the election, getting 81 out of 151 seats in parliament.

After the win, the SDP formed a government with two of its partners. Zoran Milanović, the party president, became the new Prime Minister on December 23, 2011.

The Milanović government started by making several new laws. In 2012, they passed a law about medical help for having babies. They also introduced health education in schools. Milanović also announced plans to give more rights to same-sex couples. In 2013, a public vote was held to ban same-sex marriage in the constitution. The SDP was against this ban, but it passed. Milanović then introduced a law called the Life Partnership Act in 2014, which gave rights to same-sex couples.

The government faced several challenges, including a long economic downturn and protests. They also had to deal with the European migrant crisis.

Some of the SDP's biggest successes in power included a new law about tracking money and dealing with the Swiss franc loan crisis. In 2015, they decided to change Swiss franc loans into euro loans to help people who were struggling.

The government also made changes to taxes to help with the economy. They lowered some social payments and public worker wages. The unemployment rate was highest in February 2014. The SDP supported Ivo Josipović in the 2014–15 presidential election, but he lost.

Back in Opposition: From 2015 to Today

13SDPconvention
The SDP's 13th General Convention in 2016.

In the 2015 elections, the SDP and its partners won 56 out of 151 seats. After a long time of talks, the SDP's group could not agree to form a new government. So, they went back into opposition.

On April 2, 2016, the SDP held elections for its leader. Zoran Milanović was re-elected as president of the SDP.

In June 2016, there was a vote that led to an early election in November. The SDP ran as the biggest party in the People's Coalition. Even though many thought they would win, they got 54 seats, while the HDZ won more. Because of this, Zoran Milanović said he would not run for leader again and would leave politics. Davor Bernardić was then elected as the new chairman of the SDP on November 26, 2016.

In the 2020 elections, the SDP had its lowest results in a long time. Davor Bernardić resigned the day after the election. Peđa Grbin was chosen as the new leader on October 3, 2020. Only members who had paid their fees could vote in this election.

In July 2021, some disagreements happened within the party. Some members were removed from the party. These members then formed a new group in parliament called the Social Democrats Club. This new group had 18 members, while the SDP was left with 14. On July 9, 2022, they officially started a new party called the Social Democrats.

How the SDP is Organized

The first and longest-serving president of the SDP was Ivica Račan. The current president is Peđa Grbin, who was chosen in October 2020.

Besides the president, the party also has four vice-presidents: Biljana Borzan, Sabina Glasovac, Ranko Ostojić, and Siniša Hajdaš Dončić. The main groups that run the party are the party presidency (with 18 members), the head committee, and the supervisory committee.

Like other parties, the SDP has local groups in different cities and counties. They also have special groups for young people (Youth Forum), women (Women's Forum), seniors (Seniors' Forum), and the SDP Queer Forum.

The SDP has been a member of the Socialist International since 1999. They became a full member of the Party of European Socialists in 2012. The SDP is also a full member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the European Parliament since Croatia joined the EU in 2013.

Election Results: How the SDP Has Performed

Social Democratic Party results by constituency,
2020 parliamentary election
Constituency Votes
(%)
Avg. result
+/− (pp)
VIII. 44.53 +8.77
V. 19.22 -6.00
X. 20.46 -6.87
IX. 17.19 -6.87
IV. 20.48 -9.11
VI. 24.23 -10.32
II. 25.58 -10.64
VII. 24.52 -10.96
III. 37.67 -14.89
I. 22.27 -17.09
Croatia (total) 24.87 -8.95

This section shows how the SDP has done in elections for the Croatian Parliament. The "Votes won" and "Percentage" columns include all votes won by the groups the SDP was part of. The "Total seats won" column only counts seats won by the SDP itself.

Parliament (Sabor) Election Results

Election In coalition with Votes won Percentage Seats won Change Government
(Coalition totals) (SDP only)
1990 SSH 1,001,967 35.0 (#2)
107 / 351
Increase 107 Opposition
1992 None 145,419 5.5 (#3)
11 / 138
Decrease 96 Opposition
1995 None 215,839 8.9 (#4)
10 / 127
Decrease 1 Opposition
2000 HSLS-PGS-SBHS 1,138,318 38.7 (#1)
43 / 151
Increase 33 Government
2003 LIBRA–IDS-LS 560,593 22.6 (#2)
34 / 151
Decrease 9 Opposition
2007 None 775,690 31.2 (#2)
56 / 151
Increase 22 Opposition
2011 HNS–IDS–HSU 958,312 40.4 (#1)
61 / 151
Increase 5 Government
2015 HNS-HSU-HL-AHSS-ZS 744,507 32.31 (#2)
42 / 151
Decrease 19 Opposition
2016 HNS-HSU-HSS 636,602 33.82 (#2)
38 / 151
Decrease 4 Opposition
2020 HSS-GLAS-IDS-HSU-PGS-NLDB 414,615 24.87 (#2)
34 / 151
Decrease 4 Opposition
2024 CENTAR-HSS-GLAS-DO i SIP-NS-R 538,748 25.40 (#2)
37 / 151
Increase 3 Opposition

European Parliament Election Results

Election In coalition with Votes won Percentage Seats won Change
(Coalition totals) (SDP only)
2013 HNS–HSU 237,778 32,07 (#2)
5 / 12
Steady
2014 HNS–HSU-IDS- SDSS 275,904 29,93 (#2)
2 / 11
Decrease 3
2019 None 200,976 18,71 (#2)
4 / 12
Increase 2
2024 DO i SIP–CENTAR–HSS–GLAS 192,859 25,62 (#2)
4 / 12
Steady

Croatian Presidential Election Results

Election year(s) Candidate 1st round 2nd round Result
# of overall votes  % of overall votes # of overall votes  % of overall votes
1992 Silvije Degen 108,979 4.1 (#5) Lost
1997 Zdravko Tomac 458,172 21.03 (#2) Lost
2000 Dražen Budiša 741,837 27.8 (#2) 1,125,969 43.99 (#2) Lost
2005 Stjepan Mesić 1,089,398 48.92 (#1) 1,454,451 65.93 (#1) Won
2009–10 Ivo Josipović 640,594 32.42 (#1) 1,339,385 60.26 (#1) Won
2014–15 Ivo Josipović 687,678 38.46 (#1) 1,082,436 49.26 (#2) Lost
2019–20 Zoran Milanović 562,783 29.55 (#1) 1,034,170 52.66 (#1) Won

Leaders of the SDP Since 1990

No. Leader Age Term start Term end Duration
1 Ivica Račan.jpg Ivica Račan 1944–2007 3 November 1990 11 April 2007 16 years, 159 days
20 obljetnica osnivanja OS RH Zeljka Antunovic 26052011.jpg Željka Antunović
(acting president)
b. 1955 11 April 2007 2 June 2007 52 days
2  16 obljetnica vojnoredarstvene operacije Oluja 04082011 Zoran Milanovic 38.jpg Zoran Milanović b. 1966 2 June 2007 26 November 2016 9 years, 177 days
3 Davor Bernardić (cropped).png Davor Bernardić b. 1980 26 November 2016 6 July 2020 3 years, 223 days
Z komadina.jpg Zlatko Komadina
(acting president)
b. 1958 6 July 2020 3 October 2020 89 days
4 Pedja Grbin.jpg Peđa Grbin b. 1979 3 October 2020 present 4 years, 265 days

Images for kids

See also

  • Elections in the Social Democratic Party of Croatia
  • Cabinet of Ivica Račan I
  • Cabinet of Ivica Račan II
  • Cabinet of Zoran Milanović
  • Left-wing politics in Croatia
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