Zurovec: Ombudswoman Confirmed
MP Dario Zurovec has released the Ombudswoman for Children's response, which he claims confirms his allegations about using children for party promotion at the Maksimir Culture Center.
MP Dario Zurovec has released the Ombudswoman for Children's response, which he claims confirms his allegations about using children for party promotion at the Maksimir Culture Center.
MP and Mayor of Sveta Nedelja, Dario Zurovec, announced on Monday, August 10, 2026, that he had received an official response from the Ombudswoman for Children, which he claims confirms his allegations against the Zagreb authorities. For over a month, Zurovec has been warning that children were used for political promotion of the Možemo! party at the Maksimir Culture and Information Center.
"Now it's official. What I seriously warned about is no longer a matter of political impression or interpretation. The Ombudswoman for Children has determined that the Maksimir Culture and Information Center and the creators of the 'Children's Urban Planning Office' program failed to protect children from being associated with political activities and political paraphernalia," Zurovec stated.
The dispute began in early July after the final performance of the workshop "Urban Planning Office, Zagreb Department for the Future," held from June 29 to July 3 as part of the Maksimir Culture and Information Center's program. Zurovec then claimed that during the performance, children used a prop visually resembling the symbol of the ruling party in Zagreb.
"The prop they shoved into children's hands is unquestionably similar to the Možemo logo, the ruling party in Zagreb. And this independent body has interpreted that as manipulation of children," Zurovec said. He added that "an institution that should foster children's creativity and self-confidence has instead become a training ground for party branding."
From the Office of the Ombudswoman for Children, they had already stated in early July that children's participation must be free of political content and that using children for political promotion is unacceptable. They also reminded that as early as March 2026, they had appealed to political stakeholders not to use children for promoting political activities.
Zurovec now sees the Ombudswoman's response as confirmation of his claims. "An independent body has confirmed what I seriously warned about. Children are not party props, and the Maksimir Culture Center is not a space for political branding!" he said.
Due to the entire case, Zurovec is again demanding the resignation of the management of the Maksimir Culture and Information Center and a clear statement from Zagreb's Mayor, Tomislav Tomašević. "I demand the resignation of the management of the Maksimir Culture Center and a clear response from Tomašević. Tomašević, don't just say again 'I haven't heard anything about it and I don't know what it's about,'" he said.
Zurovec emphasized that he did not initiate the case for party reasons. "I didn't start this because of politics. I'm a parent too. I started it because I saw hypocrites and political predators targeting our children. And I didn't ask about the cost," he said.
He specifically called out the Možemo! party, which has governed Zagreb since 2021: "Možemo! is a party that for years has stood out with its story about transparency, children's rights, and 'different politics.' And then they fund a program in which, according to this independent body, children are politically abused. That's not different politics; it's hypocrisy in its purest form."
