{{Short description|Croatian kinesiologist and politician (born 1974)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Ivan Penava | image = Ivan Penava 28.06.2023.png | image_size = | office1 = Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament | term_start1 = 16 May 2024 | term_end1 = | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | constituency1 = V electoral district | office2 = Mayor of Vukovar | term_start2 = 16 June 2014 | term_end2 = 6 June 2025 | predecessor2 = Željko Sabo | successor2 = Marijan Pavliček | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1974|12|31|df=y}} | birth_place = Vukovar, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | occupation = {{hlist|Kinesiologist|politician}} | spouse = | children = 2 | party = HDZ (until 2020)<br>DP (2020–present) | other_party = | alma_mater = University of Zagreb | signature = | caption = Penava in 2023 }} '''Ivan Penava''' (born 31 December 1974) is a Croatian kinesiologist and politician who served as the mayor of Vukovar from 16 June 2014 to 6 June 2025. He was a member of the Croatian Parliament since 14 October 2016 to 20 October 2016 and is member of Croatian Parliament from 22 July 2020 to present. A former member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), he is now the president of the right-wing populist Homeland Movement (DP) since 9 October 2021.
== Early life, education and career == Penava was born on 31 December 1974 in Vukovar, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. His parents are from Posušje in Herzegovina. Penava spent his childhood in the district of Borovo Naselje.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-08-22 |title=Portret tjedna/Ivan Penava (HDZ) gradonačelnik Vukovara: Budete li dobri, dobit ćete ćirilicu… |url=http://tris.com.hr/2015/08/portret-tjedna-ivan-penava-hdz-gradonacelnik-vukovara-budete-li-dobri-dobit-cete-cirilicu/ |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=TRIS portal - Šibenik |language=hr}}</ref>
He enrolled in the High School of Mathematics and Informatics in Vukovar, however, following the Croatian War of Independence and the Battle of Vukovar, the family had to flee to Varaždin where Penava continued his education and later moved to Zagreb where he graduated from the XV Gymnasium.<ref name="vuk">Grad Vukovar: [https://www.vukovar.hr/grad-vukovar/uprava/gradonacelnik/255-nekategorizirano/7450-zivotopis-gradonacelnika Životopis gradonačelnika - prof. Ivan Penava] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029182356/https://www.vukovar.hr/grad-vukovar/uprava/gradonacelnik/255-nekategorizirano/7450-zivotopis-gradonacelnika|date=29. listopada 2019.}}, objavljeno: 23. srpnja 2014., pristupljeno 29. listopada 2019.</ref>
After high school, he decided to focus his interest on sports, considering that he had been very active and successful in rowing since elementary school. He entered the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb, where he graduated in 1999 and earned the title of professor of kinesiology. In the same year, he represented Croatia at the Military World Games in the rowing team, and performed at international rowing regattas for veterans.<ref name="vuk" /><ref name="grad">Gradonačelnik.hr: [http://arhiva.gradonacelnik.hr/ivan-penava Ivan Penava] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029182355/http://arhiva.gradonacelnik.hr/ivan-penava|date=29. listopada 2019.}}, pristupljeno 29. listopada 2019.</ref>
Penava returned to Vukovar and got a job as a physical education and health professor at the Vukovar School of Economics. After eight years of teaching, he was elected director. During three semesters, he worked as an external associate for physical education and health at Lavoslav Ružički Polytechnic School in Vukovar.<ref name="vuk" /><ref name="grad" />
He gained his doctorate at the Faculty of Economics in 2010, with a thesis titled "''Alignment of Vocational Education with the Labor Market''".<ref>Grad Vukovar: [https://www.vukovar.hr/gradonacelnik/o-gradonacelniku O gradonačelniku - Ivan Penava, prof.], pristupljeno 3. prosinca 2019.</ref> He is also the author of several published works in this field.<ref name="vuk" />
== Political career == === Croatian Democratic Union === In 2014, Penava ran for mayor of Vukovar in early local elections as a representative of Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)-led coalition, and in the second round he defeated the previous mayor, Željko Sabo, who was an independent candidate with the support of the Social Democratic Party (SDP)-led coalition.<ref name="ktabkbih.net">[http://www.ktabkbih.net/info.asp?id=62446 ''Ivan Penava, gradonačelnik Vukovara''], razgovarao: Danijel Stanić, ktabkbih.net, 18. studenoga 2015., pristupljeno 3. prosinca 2019.</ref><ref name="radio.hrt.hr">[https://radio.hrt.hr/radio-osijek/clanak/u-drugom-krugu-penava-i-sabo/60054/ ''U drugom krugu Penava (47,43) i Sabo (36,42)''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203085334/https://radio.hrt.hr/radio-osijek/clanak/u-drugom-krugu-penava-i-sabo/60054/|date=3. prosinca 2019.}}, radio.hrt.hr, 16. lipnja 2014., pristupljeno 3. prosinca 2019.</ref> Penava was elected to the Croatian Parliament in the 2016 parliamentary election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zastupnik data 155 |url=http://www.sabor.hr/hr/zastupnici/penava-ivan-9-saziv |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Hrvatski sabor |language=hr}}</ref> He was re-elected mayor in 2017, winning 61.72% of the popular vote.<ref name="grad" />
Penava opposed the official status of the Serbian language in Vukovar, which ended in 2021 when the Serb population fell below 1/3 of the total population of Vukovar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Srbima u Vukovaru ponovo osporeno pravo na ćirilicu |url=https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/490585/Srbima-u-Vukovaru-ponovo-osporeno-pravo-na-cirilicu |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Politika Online}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Alo! |date=2015-11-24 |title=PRST UPEREN NA SRBE Skandalozna poruka gradonačelnika Vukovara |url=https://www.blic.rs/vesti/politika/prst-uperen-na-srbe-skandalozna-poruka-gradonacelnika-vukovara/jqllw94 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Blic.rs |language=sr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Войводини |first=Радиодифузна установа Войводини Радио-телевизия |title=Gradonačelnik Vukovara za napad na srpskog đaka okrivljuje SDSS?! |url=https://rtv.rs/rsn/region/gradonacelnik-vukovara-za-napad-na-srpskog-djaka-okrivljuje-sdss!_984244.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Радио-телевизия Войводини}}</ref> In 2019, Penava attended a Serb Orthodox Christian Easter service but later that same year he criticized Serb pupils from Vukovar for not standing up for the Croatian national anthem and called Serb politicians in Croatia "nationalists who want a Greater Serbia".<ref>{{Cite web |last=N.I |date=2019-01-22 |title=Ko je Ivan Penava, gradonačelnik Vukovara koji, kad ga uhvate u malverzacijama, za sve probleme OPTUŽI SRBE |url=https://www.blic.rs/vesti/svet/ko-je-ivan-penava-gradonacelnik-vukovara-koji-kad-ga-uhvate-u-malverzacijama-za-sve/f89kzs4 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Blic.rs |language=sr}}</ref><ref>[https://total-croatia-news.com/news/politics/ending-segregated-education-in-vukovar/ Ending Segregated Education in Vukovar? Mayor Ivan Penava Announced an Idea], total-croatia-news.com. Updated 11 May 2023. Accessed 21 January 2026.</ref>
=== Homeland Movement === In 2020, Penava announced his departure from the HDZ to join the right-wing populist Homeland Movement (DP) of Miroslav Škoro,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Penava izašao iz HDZ-a, ne očekuje odmazdu: ''Ako krenete đonom, dobit ćete đonom'' |url=https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/parlamentarni-izbori-2020/vukovarski-gradonacelnik-ivan-penava-izlazi-iz-hdz-a-na-izbore-ide-s-miroslavom-skorom---606060.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Dnevnik.hr |language=hr}}</ref> stating that he would "never and under no circumstances" be in a coalition with Milorad Pupovac and his Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vojvodine |first=Javna medijska ustanova JMU Radio-televizija |title=Penava o koaliciji sa SDSS |url=https://www.rtv.rs/sr_lat/region/penava-o-koaliciji-sa-sdss_1126881.html |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=JMU Radio-televizija Vojvodine |language=sr-Latn}}</ref> He was re-elected to the parliament in the 2020 election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zastupnik data 1288 |url=http://www.sabor.hr/hr/zastupnici/penava-ivan-10-saziv-hrvatskoga-sabora |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=Hrvatski sabor |language=hr}}</ref>
In October 2021, Penava was elected president of DP, succeeding Škoro.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ivan Penava izabran za novog predsjednika Domovinskog pokreta |url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/postaje-li-ivan-penava-danas-novi-predsjednik-domovinskog-pokreta-1529505 |access-date=2024-04-18 |website=www.vecernji.hr |language=hr}}</ref>
== Personal life == Penava is married and has two children. He is a Roman Catholic.<ref name="vuk" /> Besides his native Croatian, he also speaks English.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grad Vukovar - O gradonačelniku |url=https://www.vukovar.hr/gradonacelnik/o-gradonacelniku |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.vukovar.hr}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Penava, Ivan}} Category:1974 births Category:Mayors of Vukovar Category:Croatian male rowers Category:Living people Category:Croatian Democratic Union politicians Category:Homeland Movement (Croatia) politicians Category:University of Zagreb alumni Category:Croatian nationalists Category:Croatian Roman Catholics