As leader of the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (CDU), he led the fight for Croatian independence. During the 1991-92 civil war, his troops were hampered by lack of arms and the military superiority of the Serb-dominated federal army, but Croatia's independence was recognized following a successful United Nations-negotiated cease-fire Jan 1992. Tudjman was re-elected Aug 1992 and again Oct 1995. During World War II Tudjman joined Tito's partisan force and rose to the rank of major general before leaving the army 1960. He was expelled from the League of Communists of Yugoslavia 1967 for Croatian nationalist writings and imprisoned for separatist activities 1972-74 and 1981-84. In 1990 he was elected president, having campaigned under a nationalist, anti-Serbia banner. He was criticized for his hesitant conduct during the 1991-92 civil war but, despite many soldiers having opted to fight under the banner of the better-equipped right-wing extremist faction by Dec 1991, Tudjman retained the vocal support of the majority of Croatians. In 1993, in violation of the 1992 UN peace accord, Tudjman launched an offensive to recapture Serb-held territory in the disputed Krajina enclave, and further offensives into W Slavonia and Krajina 1995, which created more than 150, 00 Serb refugees and were allegedly accompanied by widespread human-rights violations. In Aug 1995 Krajina was recaptured from the Serbs, and Serbia subsequently agreed to gradually hand back control over Eastern Slavonia. Tudjman called an early election Oct 1995, seeking a popular mandate to continue with his militaristic policies, but, although re-elected, his party failed to win the two-thirds majority for which he had hoped.
