Stjepan Mesic President of Croatia since 2000, re-elected in 2005. Date of Birth: 24.12.1934 Country: Croatia

1. Stipe Mesic: A Croatian Political Leader
2. A Different Approach to Election Campaigns
3. A Representative Figure for Croatia

Stipe Mesic: A Croatian Political Leader

Stipe Mesic, a Yugoslav and Croatian political figure, begins his three-day visit to Russia on Tuesday. This is his first trip to Moscow as the head of state, and his first visit to any country in any capacity. Despite studying Russian in school, Mesic's acquaintance with our country will only happen now, at the age of 67. Mesic was elected as the President of Croatia in February 2000, a few months after the death of General Franjo Tudjman, the "father of Croatian independence" and a harsh authoritarian leader. Mesic, an open, sociable, and outgoing individual, had a completely different style of governance. His broad smile became the hallmark of the new Croatia, a country committed to democracy, aspiring to join European structures (primarily the EU), and handing over former national heroes, who were considered war criminals yesterday, to the Hague Tribunal. In the 2000 elections, Croatian liberals and intellectuals, who were oriented towards Europe, did not bet on Stipe Mesic. He seemed like a populist, a lightweight politician who lacked strong convictions and frequently switched parties.

A Different Approach to Election Campaigns

The intellectual elite in Zagreb had their favorite candidate - Drazen Budisa, the unified candidate of liberals and social democrats, a respectable politician supported by a solid and professional team, unlike Mesic. However, it is not the urban intellectuals who choose the president. Or at least, not only them. Mesic's electorate consisted of ordinary Croatians, mostly those without higher education living in small towns. He surprisingly found an easy way to connect with them.

Mesic's election campaign script was simple. He did not give programmatic speeches or present his platform at rallies. He simply went to cafes, ordered a mug of "Karlovacko" beer, and engaged in "heart-to-heart conversations" with people sitting at nearby tables. Television broadcasted these conversations nationwide. The effect surpassed all expectations. Mesic triumphantly won the presidential elections. Upon taking office, he did not change himself or his political style. He did not form a strong team and delegated all routine daily work to the government (fortunately, this is what the constitution suggests).

A Representative Figure for Croatia

Mesic does not lead Croatia. He has representative functions. He continues to be the "visiting card" of the young country, which quickly transitioned from war and authoritarianism to almost impeccable democracy. And Stipe Mesic successfully fulfills this main role. He also enjoys contemplating Balkan problems, such as the reasons for the collapse of Yugoslavia under Tito's rule or whether the wars in Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosovo could have been prevented.

Mesic is knowledgeable about regional problems and personally acquainted with most of the leaders of the countries that emerged from the debris of the SFRY. This sometimes helps him make accurate political predictions. In 1993, when Slobodan Milosevic's power in Belgrade seemed stronger than ever, Mesic predicted that the Serbian president would be overthrown as a result of a popular uprising. In an interview with "Izvestia" in Zagreb, Stipe Mesic, who had chaired the Croatian parliament nine years ago, said:

"I tried to warn Milosevic, told him that things would end badly for him. 'What are you doing, Sloba?' I said to him. 'Are you planning to wage war against the whole world? But for that, you would need to mobilize two million Serbs into the army. And if you mobilize two million, the Serbs will rise up against you. They will overthrow you and then hang you. I only ask you, Sloba: when they hang you, remember my words.'"

Mesic was only wrong about one thing. The Serbs did not hang Milosevic; they handed him over to the Hague Tribunal. However, in 1993, there was no International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia yet.