Centre (Croatian: Centar) is a liberal[6]political party in Croatia. The party was formed under the name Pametno (English: Intelligently) in Split in 2015 out of the citizens' initiative Za pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and a smart city").[7] The fundamental values endorsed by the party are the promotion of democracy, accountable and transparent management of public resources, civil proactive protection of fundamental human rights, economic development and environmental protection.[8]
The Party's priorities are structural reforms, education and science,[9] and it adheres to the values of "modern Western European countries". In November 2020, following a merger with Dalija Orešković's Party with a First and Last Name, the party Pametno changed name to the Centre.
History
Pametno (until 2020)
Pametno logo
Pametno was founded in 2013 as citizens' initiative Za pametne ljude i pametan grad ("For smart people and a smart city") in the second most populous city in Croatia, Split, by computer scientist Marijana Puljak. In 2010, Puljak served as President of the Split City District of Žnjan which had around 6000 citizens. During her tenure, she achieved success by reviving social life in the district, launching the construction of a children's playground and obtaining a building permit for a new district school. In 2013, she founded the citizens' initiative, competed in the 2013 local elections and eventually, surprisingly, ended up winning 4 seats in the Split City Council.
In 2015, the citizens' initiative was transformed into a political party whose work was based on the principles of 'New people for a new policy', 'Science and education as the foundation of society' and 'Policies based on evidence'.[7]
At the 2017 local elections, the Party nominated Marijana Puljak as its candidate for the position of Mayor of Split.[10] She eventually came in third and did not qualify for the second round. However, Pametno won 7 seats in the Split City Council; three more than the party had won at the previous election.
In November 2020, Party with a First and Last Name and Pametno announced their merger into one party, called Centre.[16][17] The announcement was not well received among the Split party members at the time. Many left, including six local councilors and party founders that later founded Smart for Split and Dalmatia. Formally, Pametno changed its name while IP remained as a registered party, with MP Orešković as a member of both parties, because of political funds the party would receive for their elected seat in Sabor. Orešković, Marijana Puljak, Dario Carev and Marin Račić were elected co-presidents of Centre.[18][19]
At the party's online electoral congress in November 2021, mayor Puljak was elected the new leader of the party, with Lana Pavić and Marin Račić as his vice presidents and Dalija Orešković as the political secretary.[23] Orešković however left Centre in August 2023, due to the dispute with Puljak couple and formed Dalija Orešković and People with a First and Last Name on 8 October 2023, as a continuation of Party with a First and Last Name.[24][25]
The following is a summary of the party's results in legislative elections for the Croatian Parliament. The "Votes won" and "Percentage" columns include sums of votes won by pre-election coalitions Pametno had been part of. The "Seats won" column includes sums of seats won by Pametno.
