in 1927 he was elected to the zagreb city council. he held the position of the party secretary in the party of rights until 1929 and the beginning of royal government in the kingdom of yugoslavia. shortly after the proclamation of the establishment of the government alexander i of yugoslavia in january 1929, pavelić fled abroad and was subsequently sentenced to death in absentia at belgrade for his part in anti-serb demonstrations organized at sofia by bulgarian and macedonian terrorists. he then co-founded the ustaše terrorist organization and went underground.