Selak Raspudić and Raspudić launch new political party Drito

A new political party, Drito, was launched on Thursday by husband-and-wife MPs Marija Selak Raspudić and Nino Raspudić.

Selak Raspudić has been an independent MP for some time and ran for president in 2024, while Raspudić was previously a member of the conservative opposition party Most.

The pair say the new party aims for the political center and intends to forge its own path. Selak Raspudić said they chose the name Drito — a Croatian slang word of Italian origin meaning “straight ahead” or “directly” — because it reflects the party’s ethos.

“Left, right, center… more democratic, more Croatian… Then we thought about the idea of straight ahead — drito. Drito. The name Drito came to us. It fits today’s context perfectly. Neither Pavelić nor Tito, just Drito!” Selak Raspudić said.

The party’s founding document describes Drito as “a stone from David’s slingshot, courageously and steadily fired directly at the forehead of the corrupt political body that keeps Croatia trapped in the red-black politics of the false alternative.”

Instead, the party aims to offer voters a different political vision, Selak Raspudić said.

Party Vice President Pero Guberac outlined several policy priorities, including tax relief, reducing the state’s role in the economy and encouraging the return of emigrants to Slavonia.

“As an entrepreneur, I have been faced with the problems of the common man for many years. When I drive through Slavonian villages, only one in ten fields is plowed, which is devastating. Croatia should be self-sufficient in the production of healthy food,” he said.

Raspudić added that the party will also address contemporary issues such as the opportunities and risks associated with digital technologies.

“Drito is the completion of the political constitution of a team that, from scratch, came third in the presidential election and second in the local elections in the capital. Now, as a completed and constituted party, with a name, visual identity and political declaration, Drito will very quickly become a relevant political force,” he said.

Meanwhile, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković was asked what the launch of the new party could mean for the ruling majority — and whether it might gain two additional seats in parliament.

“As far as I know, these are two opposition MPs and I have not heard anything about them potentially joining the majority. We have 78 members in the majority and it is stable. We went through a period when the left and the media were expecting a dramatic outcome, but I think that is behind us now,” Jandroković said.