Constitution:
adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001
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 Ivo SANADER (since 9 December
2003); Deputy Prime Ministers Jadranka KOSOR (since 23 December
2003) and Andrija HEBRANG (since 23 December 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and
approved by the parliamentary Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 January 2005 (next to be held January 2010);
prime minister nominated by the president in line with the balance
of power in the Assembly
election results: Stjepan MESIC reelected president; percent of vote
- Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 66%, Jadranka KOSOR (HDZ) 34%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly or Sabor (152 seats; note - one seat was added
in the November 2003 parliamentary elections; members elected from
party lists by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Assembly - last held 23 November 2003 (next to be held in
2007)
note: minority government coalition - HDZ, DC, HSLS, HSU, SDSS
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; number
of seats by party - HDZ 66, SDP 34, HSS 10, HNS 10, HSP 8, IDS 4,
Libra 3, HSU 3, SDSS 3, other 11
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 Assembly
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 Pensioner
Party or HSU [Vladimir JORDAN]; Croatian People's Party or HNS
[Vesna PUSIC]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS [Ivan CEHOK];
Croatian True Revival Party or HIP [Miroslav TUDJMAN]; Democratic
Centre or DC [Vesna SKARE-OZBOLT]; Independent Democratic Serb Party
or SDSS [Vojislav STRANIMIROVIC]; Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS
[Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Liberal Party or LS [Zlatko BENASIC]; Party of
Liberal Democrats or Libra [Jozo RADOS]; Social Democratic Party of
Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ABEDA, BIS, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NAM
(observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMOGIP, UNOCI, UPU,
WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Neven JURICA
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
FAX: [1] (202) 588-8936
telephone: [1] (202) 588-5899