Radimir Čačić

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Radimir Čačić (born May 11, 1949 in Zagreb) is a Croatian politician and businessman, and the president of the Croatian People's Party-Liberal Democrats (HNS).

In the 1980s, Čačić was an architect and entrepreneur who, together with several partners, founded and led the Varaždin-based company Coning. He amassed considerable wealth in the process, and when he decided to enter politics in 1995, he was one of the few Croatian politicians who were wealthy prior to entering a public office. He transferred his stake in the company to a legal firm.

He succeeded Savka Dapčević Kučar as the president of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and held the position for six years. He in turn was succeeded by Vesna Pusić, while Čačić became the president of the central committee of the party. He became a member of the Croatian Parliament after the 1995 parliamentary election.

In the 2000 election, the HNS won more seats in the Croatian Parliament and participated in the six-party coalition that formed the government under Ivica Račan. Čačić was the only member of HNS in the government but was given the influential and suitable position of the Minister of Public Works, Reconstruction and Building.

Radimir Čačić was instrumental in reviving the project to build the highway Zagreb-Split, arranging a more viable financing model – one that did not favour Bechtel Corporation so much as the contracts signed by Croatian Democratic Union did. The ministry invited tenders in order to choose the construction companies which would build the new road, and this method proved successful in getting the building under way. When Čačić exited the office, the sections from Karlovac to Zadar were mostly completed and the rest were also partially built.

Čačić also helped organize the public state-sponsored housing project for young families, the first such endeavour in modern Croatia. The buildings were later nicknamed Čačićevi stanovi (Čačić's apartments) after him.

After the 2003 election, the HNS returned to the opposition but Čačić retained a seat in the Parliament. The new HDZ leadership organized a parliamentary investigation panel on Čačić's alleged misdeeds: he was accused of conflict of interest given how his old company Coning was also awarded contracts in building the Zagreb-Split highway. However, after the subsequent inquiry, Čačić was cleared of all charges.

In 2005 his party won the local elections in the Varaždin county and Čačić became the župan (prefect) of the county on June 9th.

In December 2006, the HDZ parliamentary investigation panel again convened and changed its previous decision, claiming Čačić was indeed in conflict of interest and again it was proven he isn't.