Croatian Politician Orešković: Future Government Must Ban Ustaše Salute; Current Government is Pro-Ustaše

Dalija Orešković, a Croatian politician and leader of the DOSIP party, has voiced strong opinions on the upcoming parliamentary elections and the current political climate. She supports potential coalition talks between the SDP and MOŽEMO parties, emphasizing the need for a broader front of the civic liberal center to counter the ruling HDZ party.

Orešković stated her unwillingness to join any coalition that does not prioritize electoral system reform and territorial reorganization. She expressed concern that a fourth consecutive term for HDZ would be "catastrophic" for the country, citing the alleged instrumentalization of state institutions. "We already see the harm of this third term. We see the completely instrumentalized State Attorney's Office and USKOK. We see a practically invisible and powerless Commission for Conflicts of Interest," she remarked, adding that many institutions seem to have lost their purpose.

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I think a fourth consecutive term for HDZ would be completely catastrophic for the country. We already see the harm of this third term. We see the completely instrumentalized State Attorney's Office and USKOK. We see a practically invisible and powerless Commission for Conflicts of Interest.

She described the legacy of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković as a deeply divided society, a rupture within the Constitutional Court, and the continuous labeling of the opposition as enemies of the state. Orešković pointed to what she termed the "Ustashization" of society through the rehabilitation and public legalization of the Ustaše salute "Za dom spremni" (Ready for the Homeland) following a concert last year as a major failing of the current government.

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Now, the same HDZ under Andrej Plenković has bowed to Marko Perković Thompson. It is said that Plenković kissed Thompson's ring and handed him the keys to Croatia, so that after the stadium concert, the slogan 'Za dom spremni,' an Ustaše slogan from the Independent State of Croatia, would be rehabilitated and legalized in public. This has happened.

When asked if she stood by her February assessment that the government is pro-Ustaše, Orešković affirmed her stance. She recalled that the HDZ party, under a previous leader, paid a significant sum to prevent a concert featuring similar slogans, suggesting a past sensitivity to the issue. "Now, the same HDZ under Andrej Plenković has bowed to Marko Perković Thompson. It is said that Plenković kissed Thompson's ring and handed him the keys to Croatia, so that after the stadium concert, the slogan 'Za dom spremni,' an Ustaše slogan from the Independent State of Croatia, would be rehabilitated and legalized in public. This has happened," she stated, questioning how else to interpret the HDZ's position.

Orešković stressed that this issue is not merely historical but a pressing legal and constitutional matter. She called for the consistent application of constitutional provisions without exceptions or opportunistic interpretations. Responding to a remark that the SDP had announced a law to ban the Ustaše salute but had not followed through, Orešković indicated her intention to submit such a proposal herself.

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This is not a historical issue but primarily a legal and constitutional issue and requires clear and consistent application of what is already written in the Constitution – without exceptions and without interpretations from occasion to occasion.