Say you have a meeting with the president. What’s the worst that could happen?
Your pants dropping to your ankles while you’re standing next to the president for a photo opp, in front of dozens of reporters, is probably high on that list.
Well, that’s exactly what happened to Ivan Zvonimir Čičak, the president of Croatia’s Helsinki Committee (HHO), during a meeting with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
The moment, captured by many photographers on the scene, happened just as the president was handing over the Charter of the Republic of Croatia on Tuesday. Čičak, realizing what had happened, lifted his pants after a moment or two. The president, along with most others in the photo, managed to keep a straight face.
The Charter, awarded to HHO ahead of International Human Rights Day, is an award given to individuals and organizations for helping Croatia’s development and promoting the country abroad. Luckily, the charter itself is rather large, which Kitarović used to his advantage to try to hide the the situation from cameras.
Many pointed out the irony of the photo in conjunction with Čičak’s last name, which can be loosely translated as “velcro.”
In a subsequent interview with local outlet Večernji List, Čičak said that he cannot wear a belt due to stomach cancer.