Matej Kovac (born 1985) is a Kresimirian physicist, academic, and politician who serves as the Junior Senator for District II (Kakerovecska). A member of the Civic Renewal Front (CRF), he was elected in 2022 as the running mate of party leader Vesna Horvatin.
Kovac represents the intellectual and technocratic wing of the CRF’s support base in the industrial east. His election victory over the populist incumbent Viktor Durak completed the CRF’s political takeover of Kakerovecska. In the Assembly, Kovac maintains a lower profile than his party leader, focusing primarily on local administration in Novi Otonik and serving on the advisory board to the Council for Education.
Early Life and Academic Career
Matej Kovac was born in 1985 in Novi Otonik. Showing an early aptitude for mathematics, he left the industrial district to attend Sinj University in the capital, where he graduated with a degree in Physics in 2007.
Unlike many of his peers who remained in Sinj to work for YakaSys or the financial sector, Kovac returned to his hometown. He enrolled at the Otonik Institute of Applied Sciences (OIAS), earning a PhD in Applied Physics. He subsequently joined the OIAS faculty as a researcher, specializing in materials science for the region’s manufacturing sector.
Educational Activism
In 2019, Kovac began collaborating with the local CRF chapter. Working alongside then-Senator Vesna Horvatin (who was also an OIAS professor), he drafted policy papers advocating for a modernization of the national science curriculum. He argued that the Council for Education prioritized religious instruction over the technical skills required for a modern economy.
Political Career
The 2022 Election
In the run-up to the 2022 election, Vesna Horvatin—now the national leader of the CRF—sought a running mate for the second District II seat. She approached Kovac, viewing his academic background as a perfect complement to her business credentials.
The campaign for the second seat was fiercely contested. Kovac ran against the Vjetrusa incumbent Viktor Durak, a former coal miner and populist firebrand.
- The Contrast: Durak attacked Kovac as an “ivory tower elitist” disconnected from the struggles of the factory floor. Kovac countered by promoting a vision of a “high-tech industrial future” for Novi Otonik.
- The Result: The race was one of the closest in the country. Kovac secured 25.5% of the vote to Durak’s 24.8%. The victory was attributed to the high turnout of OIAS students and the shifting demographics of the city.
Senatorial Tenure (2022–Present)
Since taking office, Kovac has focused on the “Governor” aspect of his senatorial role. While Horvatin manages national opposition politics in Sinj, Kovac oversees the implementation of CRF policies at the district level.
He serves on the Advisory Board to the Council for Education, where he continues to push for STEM funding. He is seen as a quiet, diligent legislator, rarely engaging in the rhetorical battles that characterize the sessions of the Assembly.