Ivan Penava re-elected as Homeland Movement President

The war that has been raging in the Homeland Movement for a month ended violently today, but also unexpectedly quickly. After only twenty minutes, Mario Radić and his delegates left the Electoral Assembly that was being held today. After that, the Homeland Movement elected a new-old leadership - Ivan Penava remains the president of the party, and Stipo Mlinarić was elected as his deputy.

They were elected unanimously very soon after Mario Radić, Igor Peternel and 37 other delegates of the electoral assembly left the hall.

Ivan Penava demonstrated that he has the majority of the 103 delegates with him an hour before the assembly by holding a joint press conference and walking in their company to the hotel where the election assembly was held.

A dispute broke out over voting for an amendment to the rules of procedure, or the rules of procedure themselves, and after that the only challenger and his delegates left the hall and addressed the press.

“This is all senseless; it pure rape. We'll see what comes next, but let the gentlemen do what they want,” said Radić

“From this moment this party no longer exists. This is a primitive gang who, in a savage manner, stole a political party and euthanized it. This is street theft under the organization of a gang,” said Peternel.

Asked by a journalist what this means for the club of representatives in parliament, Peternel said “It means that this club of representatives no longer exists.”

“This is unseen; let them vote for whatever they want, we don't care. In this manner this isn't an assembly,” added Radić.

It was a democratic procedure or a method of elimination, depending on which side you look at.

The electoral assembly did not fall apart with their departure, on the contrary, the remaining delegates unanimously elected a new leadership, and soon the newly elected Ivan Penava and Stipo Mlinarić Ćipe appeared before the press. Although some of those who left expected to be expelled from the party, Penava and Mlinarić said that they would not be.

“The defeated have the right to be angry, but I call upon them to come to 81f Vlaška Street on Monday. They are always welcome in the Homeland Movement. There will be no revenge, retaliation or threats like they said. Peternel saying he will leave the party can only be said in his name, he can't speak in the name of four members of parliament because they are with us in the hall,” said Mlinarić.

“This was the fight of one ideological current, the core of the Homeland Movement, against techno-managers and an attempt to run the Homeland Movement in that manner. This was a scenario that was clearly familiar to me a long time ago, we've seen it in other parties and simply, as people with integrity, we didn't allow ourselves to be manipulated by some sort of players from the shadows,” said Penava.

Although Igor Peternel said on his way out that the Homeland Movement Club of Representatives no longer exists as of today, Ivan Penava said that the party is stable and the parliamentary majority is secure. They believe that the majority is not threatened by the departure of a few representatives.

We add the Member of European Parliament Stjepo Bartulica has announced that he is no longer a member of the Homeland Movement because he rejects political violence.

Source: HRT