Miletić Breaks the Chains at the Hilton
As Most's rating climbs from 6.9 to 9 percent, MP Marin Miletić openly admires Germany's AfD and Romania's AUR, building an image of an uncompromising fighter against the elites.
As Most's rating climbs from 6.9 to 9 percent, MP Marin Miletić openly admires Germany's AfD and Romania's AUR, building an image of an uncompromising fighter against the elites.
From February to July this year, the rating of the Most party rose from 6.9 to 9 percent, further solidifying its position as the fourth political force in Croatia. While party president Nikola Grmoja and other prominent members like Miro Bulj have kept their usual style, the surge in popularity is increasingly attributed to the hyperactive MP Marin Miletić, who has taken his political engagement to a whole new level.
Miletić, who entered Parliament in 2020, has become Most's most active MP since the 2024 parliamentary elections. The parliament floor is not enough for him, he has expanded his political activities to social media, where he has single-handedly built an army of nearly 400,000 followers. His posts, which read like ideological-political manifestos, regularly call for a showdown with the 'elites' and present Most as the leader in the fight for the rights of 'the people.'
In addition to his virtual presence, Miletić never misses a chance for direct contact with citizens on the street. His performances have become a serious tool of political communication, and he has used major corruption scandals in sports federations and the case of the 'privatization' of the Hilton hotel beach in Rijeka as fuel for his personal rise. These topics have served him to build a narrative about corrupt elites who steal money and seize public goods.
Miletić has recently sharpened his rhetoric, openly discussing the direction he believes Most should take, following in the footsteps of the German radical right. On his Facebook profile, he wrote: "Look, the AfD in Germany was at three percent, then nine, then 32. They wanted to ban them, they ran a whole campaign against them, but the people are fed up with spineless politicians and their policies. In Romania, it's AUR and George Simion, they had four percent, and now they're at 40. See? Anything is possible."
His zeal to attract new sympathizers is also evident in his message: "The deep state is shaking because it knows we are madmen who fear no one, and we are not involved in anything." Although he was mentioned last summer as a candidate for Most's presidency, he backed out at the last moment in the fall and supported Grmoja. However, by all accounts, he has not given up on broader political plans and often acts as if Grmoja is not his boss.
Last year, Miletić advocated for uniting the sovereignist right and bringing Most into the Vukovar Coalition, which Grmoja rejected. The head of the Croatian Sovereignists and mayor of Vukovar, Marijan Pavliček, confirmed that four political options have signed a memorandum to run together in the next parliamentary elections. "We hold regular online meetings, but we are aware that we are in the second half of the mandate and that this will intensify only this autumn, especially next spring," Pavliček said.
He added that the door is open for Most, but Grmoja is not considering it for now. "Most must internally define with whom it will form a ruling majority in the future, whether it will be the SDP and Možemo or the HDZ with its partners," he added. He had only praise for Miletić: "I think Miletić is a man of the people who fights for the interests of the common folk. I support him in that endeavor. He is currently the most recognizable political figure from that eighth electoral district, and that must be acknowledged."
The president of the HSP, Marina Logarušić, whose party is part of the Vukovar Coalition, is open to uniting the right but cautious about Most. "The HSP is currently focused on establishing its own organizations and media presence. We are focused on becoming recognizable, and we want to show voters that we are not the classic, conservative right that only talks about the Homeland War. We have also opened other topics," she stated.
She confirmed that cooperation with Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Miletić is fair and correct, but that it has not taken off in other counties. "Personally, I respect Miletić and follow his work, but our cooperation with other Most organizations has not taken off, so I would be cautious with Most. I respect Miletić's work; I believe he does it cleanly and with good intentions," Logarušić said.
Most has solidified its position by profiling itself as an uncompromising right-wing opposition with public integrity. It strategically exploited the decline of the Homeland Movement, whose entry into a coalition with the HDZ was seen by part of the right-wing electorate as betrayal. Unlike the DP, Most refused to pact with the ruling parties and shifted debates to tangible, local issues that attract media attention, from Miletić's fight for public access to Costabella beach to Zvonimir Troskot's exposure of the environmental scandal involving illegal dumping of hazardous waste in Lika.
Although the departure of the Raspudić couple, reportedly due to a conflict between Marija Selak Raspudić and Miletić, was considered a heavy blow, Most maintained internal stability. The party of Marija Selak Raspudić does not even reach two percent in polls. According to Crodemoskop, Miletić is among the ten most recognizable politicians in the country, and his social media activity serves as the main channel to younger, digitally active voters.
