Croatian Party of Rights - Modern Party

Modern Party

The long-time president of modern HSP was Anto Đapić. His political reputation was severely tarnished after the media found out that he cheated to obtain his first post-graduate degree in law at the University of Split, in collusion with Boris Kandare, a senior member of his party and professor at the Law Faculty. He was also publicly accused of faking injuries to obtain the status of a war veteran. Despite these revelations, Đapić's career as head of the HSP was unaffected. Even after the party was left by many and it had terrible results (losing 7 out of 8 seats from 2003) on the Croatian elections in 2007, he remained as head of the party (he temporarily resigned, but in less than few weeks he has withdrawn his resignation).

At the Croatian parliamentary election, 2003, the party - in an alliance with Međimurje Party (Međimurska stranka), Zagorje Democratic Party (Zagorska demokratska stranka) and non-partisan Slaven Letica - won 6.4% of the popular vote and 8 out of 151 seats, all for the HSP and Slaven Letica.

In August 2005, the Croatian Democratic Republican Party (Croatian: Hrvatska demokratska republikanska stranka, HDRS), a right-wing political party established on October 21, 2000 by merger of three smaller right-wing parties, merged into the Croatian Party of Rights. The first president of HDRS was Joško Kovač.

In September 2007, prominent members Miroslav Rožić and Tonči Tadić left the party. In November at the Croatian parliamentary election, 2007, the party suffered a setback, as it won 3.5% of the popular vote and a single seat in Sabor. After the Croatian local elections, 2009, which weren't particularly successful for the party either, turmoil in the party leadership escalated when a faction led by former representatives Ruža Tomašić and Pero Kovačević formed a splinter "Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević".

At the party convention held on 7 November 2009, Đapić officially stepped down, allowing a new leader to be elected by party members. Daniel Srb defeated two other candidates to become the new president of the party.

Croatian Party of Rights announced that during the Croatian parliamentary election in 2011 holders of their list in VII Electoral District (primary Lika and Gorski Kotar) will be exclusively women.

The party, for the first time, didn't win any parliamentary seats on Croatian parliamentary election, 2011. This led to a crisis in Party of Rights, leaders of the Dalmatian branch of the party called for resignation of honorary president Anto Đapić. President of the HSP in Split, Hrvoje Tomašević, asked for Đapić's resignation from politics and election in the party. He was supported by president of the HSP in Dubrovnik, Denis Šešelj. This appel resulted in Đapić's resignation from party's politics.