Croatia moves to fill vacant constitutional court seats

The parliamentary Committee for Constitution, Rules and Political System began hearings on Tuesday with the first five of 15 candidates nominated for three vacant seats on Croatia's Constitutional Court. The hearings will continue with the remaining ten candidates, after which the committee will propose three names to the Sabor for appointment.

The centre‑left SDP announced it will not negotiate with the ruling HDZ on the candidates, accusing Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of “contaminating” the previous selection processes. HDZ leader Ivan Malenica urged the opposition to sit down for a negotiating table and stressed the goal of completing the appointments before the summer recess, warning that the court would otherwise operate with only ten judges, as it has since April when three judges’ extended mandates expired.

Candidates mentioned include Nevena Aljinović, Branka Genzić Horvat, Ana Horvat Vuković, Davorin Ivanjek, Jadranka Juga, and later Branka Rešetar, Goran Selanec, Ljiljana Stipišić, Mladen Sučević and Mario Vinković. Some of these had previously been presented but failed to secure the required two‑thirds majority due to the ruling‑party and opposition split.

The committee’s hearings also touched on the court’s past rulings, its limited capacity, and broader questions about judicial independence and constitutional interpretation.