Florijan Kostic (born 1955) is a retired Kresimirian politician who served as a Senator for District V (Moskiprovac) for thirty years, from 1992 to 2022. A senior member of the Civic Renewal Front (CRF), he was the party’s foremost advocate for free-market economics and minimal state intervention.
Elected during the party’s historic resurgence under Mia Marija Pavlovic, Kostic became known as an ideological purist. He frequently crossed party lines to support privatization measures proposed by Blue Dawn’s technocratic wing, while fiercely opposing any legislation that increased government oversight—a stance that famously made him the sole dissenting vote against the 2013 Public Integrity Act.
Early Life and Entry into Politics
Born in Vijrje in 1955, Kostic came from a family of merchants who had struggled under the state-dominated economy of the mid-20th century. He studied Economics at the University of Pulma, where he became a devotee of classical liberal theory, arguing that the Kresimirian state’s heavy hand was the root cause of the nation’s stagnation.
The 1992 Election
Kostic entered the political arena at a moment of crisis in Moskiprovac. The district’s long-serving Blue Dawn incumbent, Mlada Wrba, was embroiled in the massive Vijrje Restoration Scandal, having embezzled funds meant for repairing monuments from the 1931 terrorist attack.
Kostic ran a campaign focused on “Clean Hands and Open Markets.” Riding the national wave of support for Mia Marija Pavlovic’s CRF, he capitalized on the collapse of the Blue Dawn vote. While the nationalist Bozidarka Borsa (Vjetrusa) took the first seat, Kostic secured the second seat with 32.5% of the vote, marking a historic breakthrough for liberals in the traditionally statist district.
Senatorial Career
The Market Dogmatist
Throughout his tenure, Kostic was the Assembly’s most consistent voice for deregulation. He was a fierce critic of the previously passed 1988 State Enterprise Act and the National Grain Trust, which he described as “charity for the incompetent.”
In the 2000s and 2010s, he found an unlikely ally in Ari Stov of Blue Dawn. Kostic strongly supported Stov’s push to involve the private sector in state infrastructure, voting in favor of awarding the KresiX contract to YakaSys. He argued that private innovation was superior to the “bureaucratic sclerosis” of the Council for Growth, a position that often put him at odds with the more socially-focused wing of his own party.
The Sole Dissenter (2013)
Kostic’s commitment to non-interventionism culminated in the vote on the 2013 Public Integrity Act. Proposed by Syv Iric, the bill aimed to regulate the business interests of Senators.
While the rest of the Assembly eventually coalesced around a compromise bill (passing 17–1), Kostic cast the single vote Against.
- Reasoning: In a passionate speech, he argued that the state had no right to police the private assets of elected officials and that “success in business should be a qualification for office, not a crime.” He maintained that transparency alone was sufficient and that asset caps were a “socialist encroachment.”
Internal Party Politics
Relationship with Volansky
Initially a supporter of Boj Volansky, Kostic grew increasingly frustrated with Volansky’s leadership during the party’s decline in the 2010s. He viewed Volansky as weak, indecisive, and too willing to compromise on economic principles to appease the northern regionalists.
The Horvatin Coup (2021)
When Vesna Horvatin challenged Volansky for the leadership in 2021, Kostic threw his support behind her. Although Horvatin was more centrist than Kostic on economic issues, he respected her political ruthlessness and her ability to win in industrial districts like Kakerovecska. He famously stated, “The party needs a fighter, not a philosopher,” and his backing was crucial in securing the support of the CRF’s donor class for Horvatin’s takeover.
Retirement
Kostic announced his retirement prior to the 2022 election, citing his age and the changing political climate. Without his personal brand and moderate-conservative appeal, the CRF failed to hold his seat in District V. The district swung back to the establishment, electing two Blue Dawn senators (Dino Colic and Ivana Bogdan).
Since retiring, Kostic serves on the board of directors for several private logistics firms in Sinj.