HDZ Fined for Insufficient Number of Women on Domašinec Ballot
The Municipal Court in Čakovec imposed an €800 fine on the party for violating the Gender Equality Act during the 2025 local elections.
The Municipal Court in Čakovec imposed an €800 fine on the party for violating the Gender Equality Act during the 2025 local elections.
For failing to comply with the Gender Equality Act during the 2025 local elections in the Municipality of Domašinec, the Municipal Court in Čakovec has fined the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) €800. Judge Dražen Bence delivered the verdict on August 3, following a motion filed by the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Čakovec.
This decision comes after the same party was already penalized for the same offense in the Municipality of Sveti Juraj na Bregu, demonstrating that courts consistently enforce the law regarding balanced gender representation on electoral lists.
For the election of members to the Domašinec Municipal Council in the local elections held in May 2025, HDZ proposed a candidate list featuring only two women. Out of a total of 13 positions on the list, only Ivančica Božić and Ana Mihalec were female candidates, constituting 22.22 percent female representation. Under the Gender Equality Act, a gender is considered significantly underrepresented if its representation falls below 40 percent.
The court concluded that HDZ, as a political party, had an obligation to ensure balanced representation of both genders on the list, which it failed to fulfill.
In its written defense, HDZ fully admitted to the offense. The party explained that the list for the Domašinec Municipal Council included seven men and two women, and that two female candidates were missing. As justification, they stated that women had not shown sufficient interest in running for office.
HDZ also noted that in the 2025 elections in Međimurje County, it submitted a total of 25 valid lists, and four of them did not meet the required number of women. In its defense, they also emphasized that the president of HDZ in the Municipality of Domašinec is a woman, and that they had female candidates for county prefect and deputy county prefect of Međimurje County.
Seeking a lighter penalty, the party cited its admission of the offense, expressed regret, and pointed to circumstances that, as they claimed, prevented finding a sufficient number of female candidates.
The court accepted HDZ's admission and concluded that the party's responsibility was unequivocally established by the case documentation. For this type of offense during candidacy for municipal councils, the law prescribes a fine of €2,654.42. Despite this, the court imposed a fine of €800, which is below the legal minimum. As mitigating circumstances, it took into account the admission of the offense and the fact that, according to the defense, they could not secure a sufficient number of female candidates.
In addition to the fine, HDZ is also required to pay €50 for the costs of the misdemeanor proceedings. If the €800 fine is paid within the deadline specified in the judgment, the party may pay only two-thirds of the amount, i.e., €533.33. The party has the right to appeal this judgment.
