Croatia’s new president promises to fight crime and corruption

New Croat president promises to fight graft

ZAGREB, Croatia — Croatia’s new president said Monday that he will keep the country on its pro-Western course and pledged to fight the crime and corruption that have plagued its path toward the European Union.

Ivo Josipovic, an opposition law scholar who also is a classical music composer, defeated populist Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic in a presidential runoff vote on Sunday.

“Every citizen that wants a better and more just Croatia has won,” Josipovic said, adding that he will represent “a Croatia where work is being paid and crime is being punished.”

Josipovic, 52, was campaigning to bring justice to the Croats — the promises that appealed to the voters who are disappointed with conservative government’s weak efforts to revive the economy amid the global economic crisis and fight graft in the nation of 4.5 million.

He also vowed to make Croatia, which hopes to join European Union by 2012, “one of the brightest stars on the European sky.”

Outgoing President Stipe Mesic, who helped curtail the extreme nationalism of the 1990’s when Croatia fought a bloody war for independence from former communist-led Yugoslavia, said Josipovic’s election is “a victory of a democratic and European Croatia.”

In Croatia, the cabinet and parliament are the key decision-makers. The president is, however, the supreme army commander and co-creator of foreign policy.

A new face in politics, Josipovic appealed to voters tired of longtime political uncertainty tainted by corruption and political intrigues.

Born on Aug. 28, 1957 in Zagreb, Josipovic joined the Social Democrats — then still the communists — in the 1980’s, but left politics in 1994 to devote his life to law and music.

His friends say he still plans to use his spare time to compose his first opera, about the life of John Lennon.

Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade.