Administrative divisions:
20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular) and 1 city* (grad -
singular); Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija, Brodsko-Posavska
Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska Zupanija,
Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija,
Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska
Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija,
Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija,
Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija,
Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija,
Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*,
Zagrebacka Zupanija
Independence:
25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Constitution:
adopted on 22 December 1990
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ivica RACAN (since 27 January
2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Goran GRANIC (since 27 January 2000),
Ante SIMONIC (since 30 July 2002), Zeljka ANTUNOVI (since 27 January
2000), Slavko LINIC (since 27 January 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and
approved by the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister nominated by the president in line with the balance of
power in the Assembly
note: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS, LP, HNS; a sixth party,
the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), withdrew in June 2001
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected president; percent of vote -
Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS) 44%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added
in the November Parliamentary elections; members elected by popular
vote to serve four-year terms); note - House of Counties was
abolished in March 2001
election results: Assembly (then referred to as the House of
Representatives) - percent of vote by party - HDZ 43.4%, SDP 23%,
HNS 7.4%, HSS 6.57%, HSP 6%; seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HNS
10, HSS 9, HSP 7; note - these are preliminary results
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in
2007)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court; judges for both courts
appointed for eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the
Republic, which is elected by the House of Representatives
Political parties and leaders:
Croatian Bloc or HB [Ivic PASALIC]; Croatian Christian Democratic
Union or HKDU [Anto KOVACEVIC]; Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ
[Ivo SANADER]; Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC];
Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's
Party or HNS [Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS
[Drazen BUDISA]; Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav
TUDJMAN]; Democratic Centre or DC [Mate GRANIC]; Istrian Democratic
Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LS [Ivo BANAC];
Party of Liberal Democrats or LIBRA [Goran GRANIC]; Social
Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
note: the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social
Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP,
and IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or
HDZ in the 2000 lower house parliamentary election; the IDS
subsequently left the governing coalition in June 2001 over its
inability to win greater autonomy for Istria