Tensions surrounding the controversial Jasenovac memorial plaque which bears a "Za Dom spremni" (For Homeland ready) slogan, are raising tensions between hardliners in the senior ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the party's coalition partners. 

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will have to take a position in the dispute that has split the HDZ from the left-leaning Croatian People's Party (HNS) and particularly MPs representing ethnic minorities. Whatever decision he takes will end up diminishing his support base. 

The slogan was first used by the fascist Ustasha in WW2. Ustasha members murdered hundreds of thousands of Serbs, Jews, Roma as well as political dissidents in Yugoslavia during WW2. The monument at the centre of the dispute is located on the site of the Jasenovac concentration camp. 

The same slogan was later used in 1990 by fighters for Croatia’s independence against Yugoslavia. However, as time has passed since the wars of the 1990s, the words are now more often viewed negatively in the context of the Ustasha. 

The controversy around the memorial plaque has reignited in recent days after Justice Minister Dražen Bošnjaković announced that the disputed panel will remain until at least 2018.

HNS and minority representatives reacted immediately to his announcement. "Croatia does not need fascist characteristics, nor do citizens deserve to be burdened by discussions on a topic to which there must only be one conclusion: removing the panel as soon as possible," the party said in a Facebook statement. 

However, the party's chief, Deputy Prime Minister Predrag Štromar, did not condition his continued support for Plenković’s government on a specific deadline by which the board had to be removed, although nearly three months ago he promised that the plaque would be removed within the month.

On the other hand, minority representatives have reacted more strongly, meaning that support for Plenković's majority in the parliament has become very questionable.

In addition, Plenković faces pressures from within his party, namely from the hardliners. Milijan Brkić, the vice president of the parliament and the deputy chairman of the HDZ, has made two very sharp statements in recent days, from which it is clear that he strongly opposes the removal of the disputed board.

“People who want to remove the plaque did not even want Croatia [to be independent],” he stated, index.hr reported. 

The insistence by Brkić and other hardliners that the plaque should stay has given rise to speculation that they could be seeking to precipitate early elections and force out Plenković, who is from the liberal wing of the HDZ.  

Plenković has so far avoided commenting on the issue. The War Crimes Council he chairs, which was set up in early March to make recommendations based on a legal framework in regard to all symbols of totalitarian regimes, so far only met twice. However, the issue has become so divisive he is under heavy pressure to step in.