Back Хърватска социалнолиберална партия Bulgarian Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka BS Partit Social Liberal Croat Catalan Kroatische Sozial-Liberale Partei German Κροατικό Κοινωνικό Φιλελεύθερο Κόμμα Greek Kroatian sosiaaliliberaalinen puolue Finnish Parti social-libéral croate French Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka Croatian Horvát Szociálliberális Párt Hungarian Partito Social-Liberale Croato Italian
Croatian Social Liberal Party Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation | HSLS |
| President | Dario Hrebak |
| Founder | Slavko Goldstein Daniel Ivin[1] |
| Founded | 20 May 1989 |
| Headquarters | Zagreb, Croatia |
| Membership (2021) | 13,676[2] |
| Ideology | Conservative liberalism |
| Political position | Centre[3] to centre-right[4] |
| National affiliation | Patriotic Coalition (2015–2016) Croatian Democratic Union (coalition since 2016) |
| Regional affiliation | Liberal South East European Network |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (affiliate member) |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| Colours | Yellow Magenta Blue |
| Sabor | 2 / 151 |
| European Parliament | 0 / 12 |
| County Prefects | 0 / 21 |
| Mayors | 1 / 128 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
The Croatian Social Liberal Party (Croatian: Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka or HSLS) is a conservative-liberal[5] political party in Croatia.
The HSLS were established in May 1989 in Zagreb as the first Croatian political party formed after the re-introduction of the multi-party system, at the time when SR Croatia was still part of SFR Yugoslavia.
Following Croatia's independence in 1991 the subsequent rule of the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the HSLS were one of the dominant forces in Croatian politics, espousing a liberal and centre-left platform. The party first won elections in 2000 and formed a coalition government with four other parties, including the major social-democrat party SDP.
The next couple of years were marked by squabbles between HSLS and SDP, with HSLS leader Dražen Budiša gradually becoming more right-wing, briefly resigning in 2001, only to come back to leave the Račan cabinet in 2002 and move back into opposition. The move led to at least two liberal factions splintering, and the HSLS turning more conservative. After losing the 2003 election, in which Budiša's HSLS shunned both the centre-left and centre-right coalitions, the party's decline in political influence started.
Between 2010 and 2015 the party was not represented in parliament. Since 2015 HSLS consistently run on tickets with the ruling HDZ. In the most recent 2024 election HSLS won two MPs in the 151-seat Sabor, as part of a wider conservative coalition.
On the European level, HSLS are one of several Croatian parties affiliated with ALDE, the main pan-European liberal political group. Since 2019 the party has been led by Dario Hrebak, who also serves as the mayor of Bjelovar, the party's only town mayor in Croatia.
- ^ Butković, Davor (21 February 2009). "Kako smo osnivali HSLS (i je li umro)?". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ "Izvješće o obavljenoj financijskoj reviziji - Hrvatska socijalno-liberalna stranka za 2022" (PDF). HSLS (in Croatian). State Audit Office. 13 November 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ Menz, Christian (2013). Explaining Croatia's (non)compliance with EU conditionality on ICTY cooperation. Anchor Academic Publishing. p. 37. ISBN 978-3-95489-183-2.
- ^ Ellington, Lucien (2004). Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Land, and Culture. ABC-CLIO. p. 443. ISBN 978-1-57607-800-6.
- ^ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Croatia". Parties and Elections in Europe.