Sandra Benčić

She graduated from the Zagreb Faculty of Law in 2014.{{cite web |title=Sandra Benčić za Index: Evo zašto sam i kako studirala 18 godina |trans-title= Here's why and how did i study for 18 years|url=https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/bencic-za-index-fakultet-sam-zavrsila-za-18-godina-nikad-se-nisam-pokajala/2551968.aspx |website=index.hr |publisher=Index |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=Croatian |date=1 Apr 2024}}

She is a member of the Centre for Peace Studies (CMS), where she worked until 2018, mostly on the topics of inequality and migration. She also has experience dealing with regional development and EU funds, as a consultant and a co-founder of one of the first consulting companies for EU funds in Croatia – "Razbor", where she worked until 2010.

Benčić is one of the founders of the human rights "Solidarna" foundation. She was a member of the Commission for Handling Complaints in the Ministry of Interior and the Council for the Development of Civil Society.{{cite web |title=Kandidatkinja za premijerku kojoj protivnici predbacuju neuspjeh u poduzetništvu: Uzor joj je Račan, u Hrvatsku dovela desetke milijuna eura... |trans-title=The candidate for prime minister whom her opponents accuse of failure in entrepreneurship: Račan is her role model, she brought tens of millions of euros to Croatia... |url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/biografija-sandra-bencic---838686.html |website=dnevnik.hr |publisher=Nova TV |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=Croatian |date=27 Mar 2024}} In 2017, Benčić signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XVGV5Z306SeDFzpdpUHhfeK-voAFdaakS48LqXfGozA/pubhtml Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language], official website, retrieved on 2024-05-14.

She was elected to Sabor as one of the leading candidates of the Green–Left Coalition in the 2020 Croatian parliamentary election. A representative of the I Electoral district, she is serving as Chairwoman of Parliament's Environment and Nature Conservation Committee.{{cite web |title=Sandra Benčić (Možemo!) |url=https://www.sabor.hr/hr/zastupnici/bencic-sandra-10-saziv-hrvatskoga-sabora |website=sabor.hr |publisher=Croatian Parliament |access-date=14 April 2024 |date=22 Jul 2020}}

Ahead of the 2024 Croatian parliamentary election, on September 16, 2023, she was chosen unanimously by the members of party council of the political party Možemo! (We can!) as a candidate for the position of the Croatian Prime Minister.{{Cite web |last=admin_hbrg |date=2023-09-16 |title=Sandra Benčić za premijerku |url=https://mozemo.hr/sandra-bencic-je-premijerska-kandidatkinja/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Možemo! |language=hr}} In her first public address, Benčić placed emphasis on social and economic equality of all Croatian citizens, the safety and certainty of the work of public institutions as well as equality of all citizens under the law. Furthermore, she placed emphasis on green transition, stating that Croatia needs to be "..one of the most successful countries in green transition which does not create losers of transitions, but instead creates a more just society...".

In February of 2024, after the controversial appointment of the judge Ivan Turudić to the position of State Attorney of Croatia by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Sandra Benčić, together with other parliamentarians belonging to left wing We can! party, protested in front of Croatian Sabor the whole day and night before the official voting in the parliament where Turudić was voted in by a majority held by Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).{{Cite web |last=Knežević Metelko |first=Katarina |date=February 6, 2024 |title=Sandra Benčić zove građane da dođu stajati s njom dan i noć na Markovom trgu zbog Turudića. On hladno prošetao pored nje |url=https://www.telegram.hr/politika-kriminal/sandra-bencic-zove-gradane-da-dodu-stajati-s-njom-dan-i-noc-na-markovom-trgu-zbog-turudica-on-hladno-prosetao-pored-nje/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240224163103/https://www.telegram.hr/politika-kriminal/sandra-bencic-zove-gradane-da-dodu-stajati-s-njom-dan-i-noc-na-markovom-trgu-zbog-turudica-on-hladno-prosetao-pored-nje/ |archive-date=February 24, 2024 |access-date=April 15, 2024 |website=Telegram |language=Croatian}} Following the vote, Benčić announced organization of large protest against the appointment "on next Saturday" alongside 11 political parties from the left wing and center of political spectrum.{{Cite web |title=Sandra Benčić o prosvjedu i novom šefu DORH-a: "Sve Turudićeve laži i muljanja sada su postali Plenkovićevi" |url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/saborska-zastupnica-mozemo-sandra-bencic-o-novom-glavnom-drzavnom-odvjetniku-ivan-turudic---827295.html |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Dnevnik.hr |language=hr}} The protest managed to gather more than 5,000 people in the heart of Zagreb Upper Town.{{Cite web |date=2024-02-17 |title=VELIKI PROSVJED Peović: 'Plenković gori od Hedervaryja - HDZ kvislinzi, izdajice, lopovi!' |url=https://www.nacional.hr/sve-je-spremno-za-veliki-prosvjed-na-markovu-trgu-krenula-i-ekipa-iz-splita-dosta-je/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=NACIONAL.HR |language=hr}} During the protest, Sandra Benčić spoke about the Croatian emigration problem and called out corruption scandals by the governing party HDZ, and expressed her wishes that "Croatia becomes a country from which people do not leave so that they can live, but instead a country where people come to lead good lives." {{Cite web |title=Završen je prosvjed oporbe, Markov trg bio krcat. Beljak: U pakao s bandom lopovskom |url=https://www.index.hr/clanak.aspx?id=2539362 |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=www.index.hr |language=hr}}

In 2024 Croatian parliamentary election, Sandra Benčić was the first candidate for the We can! political party in the first electoral district.{{Cite web |last=Rimanić |first=Marijana |date=2024-03-29 |title=Ovo su svi naši kandidati za Sabor u 11 izbornih jedinica |url=https://mozemo.hr/ovo-su-svi-nasi-kandidati-za-sabor-u-11-izbornih-jedinica/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Možemo! |language=hr}} After the surprise announcement that the current President of Croatia, Zoran Milanović will be a Prime Minister candidate for the Rivers of Justice coalition, Benčić announced that the course of plans for the election campaign for We Can! will remain unchanged and that they will still seek an arrangement with Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) for a coalition in the electoral districts where the right-wing political parties are typically stronger. She also criticized the move and expressed that, if she were in Milanović’s place, she would have abdicated from the position of President before joining the campaign.{{Cite web |last=Petrak |first=Andrej |date=2024-03-16 |title=Benčić: Milanović? Ne remeti nam planove, u njegovoj poziciji prvo bih dala ostavku |url=https://www.novilist.hr/novosti/hrvatska/bencic-milanovic-ne-remeti-nam-planove-u-njegovoj-poziciji-prvo-bih-dala-ostavku/ |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=Novi list |language=en}} However, the two parties were unable to reach an agreement for a "dotted coalition" and have decided to have separate candidacy lists in the electoral districts that are more right leaning. Despite that, both Sandra Benčić and Arsen Bauk from SDP have expressed hope that this strategy would lead to more electoral seats as well as wish for future cooperation to remove the HDZ from the government.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-22 |title=Jutarnji list - Sandra Benčić potvrdila: 'Možemo! ne ide s SDP-om na izbore!' |url=https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/sandra-bencic-potvrdila-mozemo-ne-ide-s-sdp-om-na-izbore-objasnila-i-gdje-je-zapelo-15442097 |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=www.jutarnji.hr |language=hr-hr}} During Benčić's visit to earthquake stricken Petrinja, her speech was interrupted by a local heckler who accused her of incompetence because "she cannot lead a trade and she studied for 18 years". Benčić dismissed these charges as a typical attack from the supporters of Croatian Democratic Union and Andrej Plenković, who use these arguments instead, because of "a lack of any political sustenance".{{Cite web |date=2024-03-27 |title=Slobodna Dalmacija - Napao Sandru Benčić u Petrinji: 'Nije ovo Banija, ovo je Banovina! Niste bili u stanju voditi ni obrt...' |url=https://slobodnadalmacija.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/napao-sandru-bencic-u-petrinji-nije-ovo-banija-ovo-je-banovina-niste-bili-u-stanju-voditi-ni-obrt-1375842 |access-date=2024-04-15 |website=slobodnadalmacija.hr |language=hr-hr}}

Sandra Benčić won 20,352 votes out of total 45,831 votes for the political party We can!, which secured it 3 seats in the first electoral district, and thus was elected for the second time for a member of Parliament.{{Cite web |last=Državno izborno povjerenstvo Republike Hrvatske |first=Republika Hrvatska |date=April 18, 2024 |title=REZULTATI IZBORA ZASTUPNIKA U HRVATSKI SABOR PROVEDENIH 16. I 17. TRAVNJA 2024. |url=https://www.izbori.hr/site/UserDocsImages/2024/Izbori_za_zastupnike_u_Hrvatski_sabor/Rjesenje19042024.pdf |access-date=April 22, 2024}} In post-election speech, she spoke up of importance of forming a minority government so that the necessary anti-corruption reforms can be made, as well as to send the ruling party HDZ into the opposition.{{Cite web |last=Pavlica |first=Valentina |date=April 18, 2024 |title=Benčić i Tomašević: 'Ajmo sada protiv te korupcije. Sigurno se možemo dogovoriti, rušenje HDZ-a je ostvarivo' |url=https://www.telegram.hr/politika-kriminal/bencic-i-tomasevic-ajmo-sada-protiv-te-korupcije-sigurno-se-mozemo-dogovoriti-rusenje-hdz-a-je-ostvarivo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422130425/https://www.telegram.hr/politika-kriminal/bencic-i-tomasevic-ajmo-sada-protiv-te-korupcije-sigurno-se-mozemo-dogovoriti-rusenje-hdz-a-je-ostvarivo/ |archive-date=April 22, 2024 |access-date=April 22, 2024 |website=Telegram |language=Croatian}}

She is married to Miroslav Petrović. The couple has two sons.{{cite web |title=Tko je suprug Sandre Benčić? 'Miro me usrećuje, preuzeo je brigu o kućanstvu' |url=https://net.hr/hot/zvijezde/tko-je-suprug-sandre-bencic-miro-me-usrecuje-preuzeo-je-brigu-o-kucanstvu-eaef70fc-f73e-11ee-9a03-0a205096a2b9 |website=net.hr |publisher=RTL |access-date=14 April 2024 |language=Croatian |date=11 Apr 2024}}

She appreciates Ivica Račan as Croatian prime minister and Sanna Marin as a prime minister from European country.

Benčić revealed that she regularly attends Let 3, TBF and Hladno pivo concerts.

{{reflist}}

• {{url|https://www.sabor.hr/hr/zastupnici/bencic-sandra-10-saziv-hrvatskoga-sabora|Sandra Benčić}} at 10th Croatian Parliament
• {{url|https://mozemo.hr/zastupnice-i-zastupnici/sandra-bencic/|Biography}} at mozemo.hr

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bencic, Sandra}}

Category:Living people

Category:1978 births

Category:Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb alumni

Category:21st-century Croatian politicians

Category:Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament

Category:21st-century Croatian women politicians

Category:Green politicians

Category:Signatories of the Declaration on the Common Language

Category:People from Zabok