Former Homeland Movement Party members form a new political party

As of Saturday, the Croatian political scene has a new party - Home and National Gathering, or abbreviated as DOMiNO. Most of the new party’s membership is comprised of former members of the Homeland Movement Party (DP) who parted ways with the DP following its recent intra-party elections.

On Saturday, 348 delegates elected Mario Radić as president at the founding of the Home and National Gathering - DOMiNO party. According to Radić the foundation of the new party's work is, as its name suggests, focused on nationally important issues, the retention of young people and the return of emigrants.

DOMiNO will immediately become a parliamentary party with two MPs, namely Igor Peternel and Krešimir Čabaj, and in a few months, after Damir Biloglav activates his parliamentary mandate, they will be able to establish their own parliamentary club with three deputies. DOMiNO will also have a Member of European Parliament, Stephen Bartulica.

Peternel, Biloglav and Branka Lozo were elected as party vice-presidents, Slaven Dobrović was elected DOMiNO Party Secretary-General, while Bartulica will serve as the international secretary.

Radić founded the new party after splitting with the Homeland Movement Party a month ago. His public clashes with DP leader Ivan Penava resulted in a split in the party.

"Some thought that we'd be no more, and they couldn't hide their joy. You know how the song goes. But look at how many of us there are. Do you know why we are here? We're here because we don't have the luxury of running away, as they would say, cowardly with our tails tucked between our legs. We're here because we haven't given up on Croatia, because we know what home means," Radić said after being elected party president.

With the Homeland Movement Party serving as the junior member in the coalition government, it will be interesting to see if their former colleagues, now members of DOMiNO, will continue to back the parliamentary majority, something that Radić says is still under consideration. For now DOMiNO has floated the idea of running Lozo as their own candidate for the coming presidential elections.

Source: HRT