Mato Franković

Franković was born in Dubrovnik. He finished elementary school in {{ill|Ponikve (Ston)|hr|lt=Ponikve}} on the Pelješac peninsula, and first three grades of high economic school in his hometown.

He continued his education in the United States, where he finished fourth grade of high school through an international student exchange program. After Franković came back to Croatia, he enrolled the Rochester Institute of Technology and obtained a high school qualification Associate in Applied Sciences.

== Business career ==

In 2003 Franković started to work in Generalturist tourist agency, where he passed all positions from airport operative through operations manager all the way to branch manager and regional director and director of subsidiary Lanta Generalturist in Montenegro.

In 2009 Franković was appointed as the director of ACI Marina Dubrovnik. In the last seven years under his leadership, ACI Marina Dubrovnik has won seven awards for the best marina in category of medium marina, and financially the last five years has recorded the best results in the chain of ACI marinas.

He retained position of the director of ACI Marina Dubrovnik for eight years, up until the year 2017, when he was elected Mayor of Dubrovnik. He also took on the role of regional coordinator for covering the South Adriatic region (2013–2015).[https://aci-marinas.com/hr/marina/aci-dubrovnik/ ACI Marina]

Franković was also chairman of Hotel Maestral's advisory board (2006–2012). At the regular election assembly of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) in 2016, he was elected to the tourist board of the HTZ, the so-called tourist government of the country.

Franković is an active member of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and has been chairman of party's branch in Dubrovnik since 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.hdzdubrovnik.com/team_members/mato-frankovic/ |title=Mato Franković |website=www.hdzdubrovnik.com |access-date=9 August 2021 |language=hr}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hdzdubrovnik.com/vijesti/2020/mato-frankovic-ponovno-izabran-predsjednika-gradskog-odbora-hdz-a-dubrovnik/ |title=Mato Franković ponovno izabran za predsjednika Gradskog odbora HDZ-a Dubrovnik |date=22 November 2020 |access-date=9 August 2021 |language=hr}}

Franković served as a member of Dubrovnik-Neretva County in three terms, and as president of the Dubrovnik City Council from 2015 until January 2017.{{cite web|first=Nikša |last=Miletić |url=https://dulist.hr/potvrdeno-mato-frankovic-novi-predsjednik-gradskog-vijeca-2/235343/ |title=POTVRĐENO Mato Franković novi predsjednik Gradskog vijeća! |publisher=dulist.hr |date=7 April 2015 |access-date=3 June 2021 |language=hr}}

In the 2016 Croatian parliamentary election, Franković was elected as a member of the Croatian Parliament and until 9 June 2017, when he took the mayor role, served as member of the parliament's Committee on Local and Regional Self-Government, the Committee on Tourism and the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation.

In the 2017 local elections, Franković was elected Mayor of Dubrovnik.{{cite web|title=PROFIL NOVOG GRADONAČELNIKA Saznajte sve o Matu Frankoviću |url=https://dubrovackidnevnik.rtl.hr/vijesti/politika/profil-novog-gradonacelnika-saznajte-sve-o-matu-frankovicu |website=dubrovackidnevnik.rtl.hr |access-date=13 June 2018 |language=hr}} He was reelected as mayor in the 2021 local elections.{{cite web|url=https://vijesti.hrt.hr/hrvatska/frankovic-gradonacelnik-dubrovnika-dobroslavic-ostaje-zupan-1961709 |title=Franković gradonačelnik Dubrovnika, Dobroslavić ostaje župan |website=vijesti.hrt.hr |date=30 May 2021 |access-date=3 June 2021 |language=hr}}

In the 2020 Croatian parliamentary election, Franković was reelected to the Croatian Parliament and became member of the parliament's Committee on Tourism and the Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation.

In July 2024 Franković faced criticism for his use of a fascist greeting Za dom spremni during the opening ceremony of a memorial park in Cista Velika in Cista Provo municipality.{{cite web |url=https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/hdzov-gradonacelnik-dubrovnika-pozdravio-sa-za-dom-spremni-medved-mu-pljeskao/2584369.aspx |title=HDZ-ov gradonačelnik Dubrovnika pozdravio sa "Za dom spremni". Medved mu pljeskao |date=21 July 2024 |publisher=Index.hr |access-date=21 July 2024 }} The event honoured fallen Croatian Defence Forces soldier Mate Vučko Čigra and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tomo Medved and other officials. Franković's use of the phrase, historically associated with the Ustashe regime and later adopted by the Croatian Defense Forces in 1991, sparked a public debate.{{cite web |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/frankovic-o-snimci-na-kojoj-govori-za-dom-spremni-nemam-se-cega-sramiti-objasnit-cu-vam-razliku-15484378 |title=Franković o snimci na kojoj govori ‘Za dom spremni‘: ‘Nemam se čega sramiti, objasnit ću vam razliku...‘ |date=21 July 2024 |author=Goran Penić |publisher=Jutarnji list |access-date=21 July 2024 }} Franković subsequently explaining that the greeting deserves condemnation when associated to the quisling Ustaše regime but asserted his belief that the phrase symbolized legitimate resistance in the 1990s.

== References ==

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Category:1982 births

Category:Living people

Category:Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament

Category:Croatian Democratic Union politicians

Category:Mayors of Dubrovnik

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