The Prime Minister and president of HDZ, Andrej Plenković, stated on Saturday in Ston that there is no need to call a referendum within HDZ regarding the Istanbul Convention (IK), adding that the essential meaning of this Council of Europe convention is the protection of women from violence and domestic violence.
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“No, there is no need for any internal party referendum on this issue (IK),” Plenković responded to journalists’ questions regarding some proposals from the Zadar HDZ to call a referendum within HDZ concerning the Istanbul Convention. He added that there is no HDZ document “at any stage since this convention (IK) exists, which would say that HDZ is against:”
“So, that is fundamental,” said Plenković.
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He believes that it is only necessary to clarify the essence of the convention a little more at the county level and within HDZ organizations.
“I repeat once again, the purpose of the Council of Europe convention is the protection of women from violence and domestic violence, and we need to eliminate all these topics that are in the ether and are not valid,” emphasized the president of HDZ and the Government of the Republic of Croatia, Plenković.
He added that there is no effect of this convention in terms of introducing a third gender into our legal system, in terms of recognizing same-sex marriages, or in terms of having to include homosexual content in our educational system curricula or something like that.
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“These are all inaccuracies, and there is no legal obligation that Croatia would take on in this regard,” emphasized Plenković.
He also stated that he feels there is a fear “of the supervisory body of a convention called GREVIO,” adding that a large number of key, most important conventions of the Council of Europe have supervisory bodies.
“Ultimately, the European Court of Human Rights is a court, but it is also a supervision of the implementation of conventions against corruption, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment. We have as many such bodies as you want, Croatia is a party to these conventions, and no one is upset,” said Plenković.
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Regarding the term “gender” or “gender identity,” he reminded that it has existed in our system for over ten years. He noted that he does not see what “could further problematize this convention whose purpose is deeply Christian.”
Jandroković: I do not believe in stratification in HDZ due to IK, members talk very openly
The Secretary-General of HDZ and President of the Croatian Parliament, Gordan Jandroković, stated on Saturday in Osijek that he does not believe that discussions about the Istanbul Convention (IK) could lead to stratification and divisions within HDZ, emphasizing that HDZ is a large party that covers a significant part of the political spectrum, and members discuss all topics very openly.
After the meeting of the expanded Osijek-Baranja County Committee of HDZ, when asked by journalists whether the announcement of an internal party referendum on the Istanbul Convention would mean the beginning of stratification and more serious divisions in the party, Jandroković stated in a statement to journalists that he does not believe in such a possibility. HDZ is a large party that covers a significant part of the political spectrum, so there are different opinions among our members on some topics, and we have never hidden that, emphasized Jandroković.
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He added that all these topics are discussed very openly in HDZ today. He said that there were also members at today’s meeting who questioned why this should be done at this moment, but after a reasoned discussion, it was “completely clear that a large majority of the members of the party are aligned with the policy led by the president of HDZ, Andrej Plenković.”
Different opinions are not a problem
Regarding those who think differently, that is not a problem, but our task is to reach a position through discussion and arguments that will preserve unity within HDZ and ensure that the Government can continue to function normally until the end of the mandate, Jandroković stated.
The Secretary-General of HDZ stated that at the meeting of the expanded Osijek-Baranja County Committee of HDZ, held as part of regular visits to county organizations, other political topics were also discussed, and a large majority of the participants in the discussion expressed support for the party leadership’s policy and for President and Prime Minister Plenković.
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I have very convincingly explained why I believe it is very important to ratify this convention and presented the main contours of the interpretative statement that will accompany this convention, and it seems to me that the strong support we have for this in this County Committee is a clear sign to continue, emphasized Jandroković.
The president of the county HDZ and county head Ivan Anušić stated that the most interesting topic of the meeting was the Istanbul Convention, adding that no “absolutely no problems or delays in the procedure” are expected.
HDZ is a large party that openly discusses and debates at its meetings, but makes conclusions in a democratic way, and implements those conclusions, Anušić said.
