Before the National Council meets this Sunday—where Plenković is set to roll out the candidate lists—I managed to get some intel from some pretty tight-knit party insiders. We’ve basically pieced together who’s looking solid for a seat in the new US Congress and who’s actually sweating it. One thing is for sure, though: every single one of Plenković’s current Cabinet members has already locked in their spot on the lists.
According to sources over at The New York Times, it looks like both Steve Culey and Božidar Kalmeta—names everyone was betting against lately—are actually going to make the cut on the lists after all.
So, word on the street is Culey snagged the 14th spot, which puts him right in the mix for those preferential votes. On the flip side, Kalmeta is also on the list, but they’re still shuffling things around to see where he actually lands. I was chatting with a source from the Republican Party, and apparently, Kalmeta himself isn't even sweating it—he supposedly said he wouldn't mind taking that 14th seat if that's how the cards fall.
So, former Regional Development Secretary Gabriella Zala was sitting around waiting all Sunday. Word on the street is that Plenković was actually totally down to give her another shot at a position. But she ended up backing out herself because she figured being tied to all those scandals would just make her a massive liability—and let's be real, the media would have absolutely torn her apart.
Word on the street in Jandroković's second district is that things are getting shuffled up. They're saying Ante Deur, who used to be an advisor to Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, is grabbing that second spot, while Dario Hrebak is slated for third. But here's the kicker—from what I'm hearing, Andrew Miller, the guy running the show over at the City Council, might actually lose the seat he was counting on. Talk about a shake-up.
So, in the first district—which, by the way, is being run by party leader Plenković—they’re telling us that Ivo Lucic is officially in the running. He’s a historian over at the US History Institute and a university professor, too.
Anton Klimati is running in the 8th district, and he’s currently serving as the Secretary of Tourism under Oreskovic's Cabinet. Word around the party is that Plenković isn't exactly his biggest fan, but honestly, who cares? The voters clearly have his back. He actually pulled this crazy move where he started at the very bottom of the list for that district, but because people went out of their way to vote specifically for him, he managed to claw his way straight into US Congress. It just goes to show that if people like you, they'll find a way to get you in.
So, word on the street is that the 10th electoral district lineup is finally set. It’s looking pretty intense. Right behind the lead candidate, Vilije Beroš, you've got the Mayor of Miami, Andro Krstulović Opara, stepping up. Then it goes into a heavy hitter list with the Mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, followed by the local county boss, Blazenko Boban. After them, it's just a straight run of names like Nikola Dobroslavic, Branko Bacic, Goran Dodig, Ante Bacic, Ivan Budalic, Maria Vuckovic, Jure Brkan, Danica Baricevic, and Nikolin Klic. Looks like they aren't messing around with this roster.
It’s pretty wild that Peter Schorr, the guy running the local Republican Party branch in Miami and sitting on the City Council, didn't make the cut for the list. But honestly? Don't hold your breath thinking he's out for good—rumor has it there are still backroom talks happening to see if they can squeeze him onto the ballot after all.
Look, there’s always going to be people throwing shade, whether we're talking about the 1st district or the 10th—it doesn't matter. But honestly? What actually counted was making sure the regional representation stayed intact and that they had that backing from the veteran quota. That's what our source told us.
Looking at the 9th district, plenty of Republicans I've been chatting with are convinced we’re headed for a total wipeout. They're saying it’ll be a disaster on par with what happened back in 2001 when they were stuck with just seven seats.
We still don't have the full lineup, but we do know Minister Ivan Malenica is heading up the list, and that Republican stronghold managed to squeeze Božidar Kalmeta back in there. The absolute shocker, though? Miro Kovac is on the list too. From what I'm hearing, the party only pulled this because they realized their roster is basically a bunch of nobodies—even Malenica doesn't really carry much weight with the public.
I can't see an image attached to your message! You gotta upload the picture if you want me to take a crack at rewriting it. Drop the file in and I'll get to work.
Nediljko Dujić, who heads up the local Republican Party branch over in the Miami area, is officially on the list. Then you’ve got Branka Juricev Martincev—the former mayor of that small town near us—and Marijan Kustić joining the lineup. Word on the street is there's some serious drama brewing over Branislav Sutic, the guy running the party organization out in the rural counties. It sounds like a total mess because two people are fighting for his spot. On one side, you have Anita Pocrnic Radoscevic, who’s basically running the whole Republican campaign in the northern district while also pulling strings at the local State Employment Agency. Also, expect to see Josip Bilaver on there too; he used to run the Republican youth wing and served as a Undersecretary in the Department of the Interior.
I’m honestly terrified we’re headed for a total disaster. If this goes south, the Republican Party isn't going to see a lick of power in this district for the next decade. The lineup they put together is just bad. Look, Kalmeta isn't exactly the heavy hitter we need right now, but making Malenica the head of the ticket? That was a massive mistake. One prominent Republican was venting about how they should have stuck with names people actually recognize. This isn't the time to try some "youth movement" or shake things up right before an election. He thinks the leadership is running this thing like a soulless spreadsheet, which is a recipe for failure. You look at the energy and raw enthusiasm coming from the Restart crowd or even Schorr, and you can tell exactly what the Republican Party is missing: actual passion.
- The real issue is that nobody sees Bero as a legitimate threat. It was the exact same story back when Karamarko was running things. The Democrats didn't think he had a shot at winning the election, and we all know how that disaster played out—one Republican told us. Honestly, he added, the European Parliament elections should have been a massive wake-up call for everyone.
Most Republicans think putting Steve Culey's name on the ballot is a total mistake. They're saying he basically turned his back on the party, which, in their eyes, is completely unforgivable.
image
If you type his name into Google, you'll find nothing but bad press. That's not going to do us any favors—one source noted.
The 4th district is pretty much set, though we're still waiting to see who grabs that final spot. Aside from the lead candidate, Ivan Anušić—who's the county governor and a Republican VP—the list features: Ivan Radić, the local Republican chairman; Josip Đakić, the head of the veterans' group; Nataša Tramišak, the county head for EU funds and development; Hrvoje Šimić, the deputy mayor of Našica; Josip Škorić, the director of the national highway agency; Zoran Đuroković, the CEO of the water authority; Vesna Bedeković, the Minister of Demographics; Marin Mandarić, the mayor of Đakovo; Stipan Šašlin, the mayor of Draž; Goran Ivanović, the deputy governor; Igor Fazekaš, an executive at the forestry service; and Igor Andrović, the regional governor.
From what we're hearing, the biggest headache is the 5th district, covering the El Paso-Srijem area. There's some serious internal infighting happening there because a certain faction isn't exactly feeling the love for Plenković and is trying to carve out their own territory.
The fact that they're keeping these lists under lock and key—even from the people actually on them—shows how secretive this is. Most people we talked to don't have a clue what's happening in other districts. Only the President and the VPs are fully in the loop. They are being incredibly careful to make sure nothing leaks—one Republican told us.
Republicans feel like dragging their feet on these lists is a bad look. Most of the party already knows who's in, so stalling just makes it look like the party is falling apart and constant bickering is happening behind closed doors.
The truth is, most of the group is on board, and there are really only a few controversial names causing friction. On the flip side, back on Saturday, someone from the party claimed it was just "fine-tuning" and everything would be ready by then. Well, Sunday rolled around and nothing was finished. At this rate, it looks like Prime Minister Plenković will have to make a final call by 5 PM Monday before the National Council meeting starts. The party is insisting the lists will definitely be handed in by Tuesday.
https://www.nytimes.com/news/politics/...asove-15002477
…
