Miroslav Tudjman, a member of parliament from the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), prominent scholar, politician and son of Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman, died on Sunday at the age of 75.

Tudjman died at Zagreb's Dr Fran Mihaljevic hospital for infectious diseases, where he was treated for complications caused by COVID-19.

He was first elected to the parliament in 2011 and his decade-long work as an MP was considered as marked by moderation, well-reasoned speeches, expertise and respect for others.

In the current parliament, he chaired the Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and sat on the committees on defence, home policy and national security, war veterans and interparliamentary cooperation.

Tudjman was born in 1946 in Belgrade. He graduated in philosophy and sociology at the Zagreb Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences where he also earned his doctoral degree in information and communication sciences.

Prime minister, parliament speaker extend condolences

“The son of the first Croatian President Franjo Tudjman and a participant in the Homeland War, Mr Tudjman gave a contribution to making his father's vision – the creation of a free, sovereign, independent and democratic Croatia, its international recognition and territorial integrity and development of its political, social and scientific institutions – become a reality,” Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in a letter of condolence to the Tudjman family.

In the parliament, Tudjman represented the party founded by his father and he “contributed greatly to its successes with his prudence, calm and natural authority of a man dedicated to the protection of Croatian national interests,” Plenkovic said.

“He strongly advocated the rights of the Croat people in Bosnia and Herzegovina and preservation of the legacy of Croatia's first president. He was also recognised as an author of research papers in which he analysed, in a well-argumented way, the real causes of the wars in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A university professor, publicist, member of parliament and one of the founders of the Croatian intelligence system, he left an indelible mark in the more recent history of Croatia with his professional, meticulous and hard political, social and academic work,” said Plenkovic.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said in his message of condolence that Tudjman was one of the longest-serving members of the Croatian parliament, elected four times.

“He conducted his duties in a very responsible, honest and professional way. His speeches were always meticulously prepared, well-reasoned and elaborate and in delivering them, he always showed respect for all his colleagues, regardless of their political affiliation. As the oldest and one of the most experienced MPs, to many, particularly young colleagues, he served as an example of a man from whom to learn,” said Jandrokovic.

The parliament speaker recalled that during and after the 1991-95 Homeland War Tudjman served as the head of the Croatian Intelligence Service, a member of the President's Defence and National Security Council and deputy head of the National Security Office and underlined his contribution to the establishment and development of institutions of the modern Croatian state.