The position of Zagreb’s mayor is not for women – said an old man, who happens to be the father of the capital’s current mayor. A young female politician loses elections in a small coastal Croatian municipality and reveals she was threatened by men with criminal pasts. Emancipation is a daily battle, and EU membership is no guarantee that everything will be done right.
By: Enver Robelli
Zagreb recently held elections for the mayor’s office. Tomislav Tomašević won—he’s held the position for the past four years. Tomašević has been an environmental activist, an anti-corruption advocate, and an alpinist (still is). A politician with potential, you could say. After his win, Tomašević and his supporters gathered to celebrate at “Tvornica,” a well-known alternative venue in Zagreb. His parents were also there, along with many journalists and their microphones. Suddenly, Tomašević’s father found himself in front of one. He said: “My son is fulfilling what we, the defenders [of Croatia], fought for in the war. I respect [his opponent] Marija Selak Raspudić, but I think she’s learned a few things by rote. Secondly, this post in Zagreb, no offense, is not for women. It’s a very difficult and dangerous job.”
You read that right: the mayor’s office in Zagreb is not for women—according to the father of the mayor of Zagreb. Men’s talk, anything but manly. Tomašević found himself in an awkward situation. He called his father’s comment problematic and said he had spoken to him about it. This statement illustrates that emancipation is a daily struggle (even into old age), and EU membership is no guarantee that everything is suddenly done right.
Even when elected on merit, women face higher expectations than men. They must be capable, competent, but not emotional—and definitely not dominant. Dominance seems reserved for men, who also benefit from informal networks: one hand washes the other, and everyone helps each other climb the career ladder.
Four years ago, a young politician, Petra Radić (then 28), achieved a spectacular success: she was elected mayor of the coastal municipality of Podgora. Upon taking office, she found the municipality’s finances in shambles. Debts were around 4.5 million euros. Her predecessor, Ante Miličić, a long-standing local power broker, had served three terms as mayor. He initially won as a candidate from the HDZ party, which—barring short interruptions—has dominated Croatian politics since the early 1990s. Later, Miličić became “independent”—presumably, he no longer needed a party. There were rumors of shady contracts, financial irregularities, and other less-than-glorious dealings. In 2014, he named then-Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić an honorary citizen of Podgora—Bandić being one of the most corruption-riddled politicians in Croatia.
Bandić led Zagreb for 21 years before his sudden death in 2021 at age 65. He was held in pretrial detention twice, stood trial for two scandals: once acquitted, the other case was never concluded. First elected in 2000, two years later he caused a car accident while drunk, tried to bribe a police officer, and had to resign (only to return to office later). One can easily imagine that a woman politician with such a scandal-laden resume would never be forgiven.
Back to Podgora, on the Croatian coast.
Petra Radić lost the election 10 days ago. The new mayor will be the old one: Ante Miličić. The old boys’ networks worked again. In a social media post, Petra wrote:
“Thank you for believing when it was hardest, when words could wound and silence hurt even more. We won some places, we lost some—but sadly, it wasn’t enough for another term to continue the work.”
Then she explained why she had been silent for 48 hours.
“I must apologize for not being present these past 48 hours. I didn’t disappear, I didn’t give up, I just had to prioritize the safety of my family and myself. After the threats, public calls for lynching, and insults—from people with serious and well-known criminal backgrounds—I had no other choice. But even then, I wasn’t alone. You were there, with messages, calls, care. And I will never forget that.”
Over the next four years, Ante Miličić will once again run the municipality of Podgora. And perhaps spend quite a bit of time on the beach, where—according to charges by the Split Prosecutor’s Office—he had once built a structure without a permit.