Anto Đapić (born August 22, 1958) is a Croatian right-wing politician and the former president of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP). He currently serves as a Representative in the Croatian Parliament, a post he was elected to at the 1992, 1995, 2000, 2003 and 2007 elections.
Đapić was born in Čaprazlije, near Livno (then SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia now in Bosnia and Herzegovina). The family of Đapić had a history of supporting the old Croatian Party of Right, and later the Ustaše regime. Therefore, when his father and uncles chose to go to West Germany on permanent work instead of living in socialist Yugoslavia, while Anto, his mother and brother lived in Osijek, Croatia ever since 1962. Đapić considers Osijek to be his hometown.
Đapić lost his mother in a car crash when he was a teenager, so he had to do manual labour while studying law at Osijek University. Đapić obtained a law degree in 1989.
When pluralism took over in Croatia and rest of Yugoslavia in 1989, Đapić first joined Franjo Tuđman's Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). He was one of the party's organizers in Osijek, but he left it after short time. In 1991, he joined the Croatian Party of Right (HSP), which was renewed year earlier. After the assassination of Ante Paradžik, he was named party's Vice President.
Đapić was also for short period of time a commander of voluntary military units called HOS (Hrvatske Obrambene Snage - Croatian Defence Forces), which were organized by Croatian Party of Right. They wore black uniforms like the Black Legion of the Ustaše army, and fought in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Later HOS was blended with Croatian Army (in Croatia) and Croatian Defense Council (in Bosnia). Several of their units are accused of widespread war crimes against Serb civilians.
In 1993, Đapić was named president of HSP. Previous president Dobroslav Paraga claimed Đapić was elected illegally, and he later formed the new party Croatian Party of Right 1861, which has failed at each parliamentary election since 1993. Đapić was less critical of President Tuđman and HDZ then Paraga, and he was considered to be their satellite.
In the 1995 election, HSP won 4.8% of vote, but after a recount, 5.01% was claimed to be official result, which meant that HSP remained represented in Parliament. With war being over the party took more and more criticism for its neo-ustaša views. However, HSP led by Đapić maintained small but solid support among the voters. In 2000, this time in coalition with Croatian Christian Democratic Union (HKDU), HSP kept four Parliament seats.
Đapić led a presidential campaign same year, finishing a distant fifth. But ever since then, Đapić and his party worked hard to change perception among voters. The extremist right-wing agenda was softened a bit.
HSP still opposes Hague War Crimes Tribunal, holds eurosceptic views and is socially very conservative. Anto Đapić on 2007 pre-election meeting in Imotski said that HSP is to protect a life from conception and family from same-sex unions because they are "unnatural and abnormal".[1] But it also takes care of economic, educational and various other problems. Therefore it won over some moderates and doubled its seat numbers in 2003 election.
HSP and its president are now viewed as an anti-establishment solution as opposed to establishment parties like HDZ and the Social Democratic Party of Croatia. Representative Đapić currently serves in Foreign Politics Committee. He is married with one daughter.
In June 2005 Đapić became mayor of Osijek, but he lost position in 2009.
In late 2009 due to Đapić's autocratic leadership the HSP split yet again. A new party, "Hrvatska stranka prava dr. Ante Starčević", with Ruža Tomašić as party leader was formed. The party's leadership accused Đapić for the weakening of HSP's standing in the Sabor.
Đapić was replaced as the president of the party at the November 2009 convention by Daniel Srb.
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