Željka Antunović facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Željka Antunović
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Antunović in May 2011
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| Leader of the Opposition Acting |
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| In office 11 April 2007 – 2 June 2007 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader |
| Preceded by | Ivica Račan |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Milanović |
| President of the Social Democratic Party Acting |
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| In office 11 April 2007 – 2 June 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Ivica Račan |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Milanović |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 30 July 2002 – 23 December 2003 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivica Račan |
| Preceded by | Jozo Radoš |
| Succeeded by | Berislav Rončević |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 September 1955 Virovitica, PR Croatia, FPR Yugoslavia |
| Political party | SDH (1990–1994) SDP (1994–2013) |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
Željka Antunović (born 15 September 1955) is a Croatian former politician. A politician is someone who works in government or for a political party. She was the acting leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for a short time in 2007. She also served as the Minister of Defence from 2002 to 2003. She was the first woman to hold this important position in Croatia.
Contents
Early Life and Political Start
Željka Antunović was born in Virovitica, a city in Croatia, in 1955. She became involved in politics in 1990. At that time, Croatia was becoming a democratic country.
Joining Political Parties
Antunović first joined a political party called the Social Democrats of Croatia (SDH). This party was formed when Croatia became more democratic. The SDH was a different party from the Social Democratic Party (SDP) at first.
However, after some elections, the SDH decided to join forces with the SDP. This happened in 1994. Željka Antunović then became a member of the SDP. She slowly became more important within the party.
Key Roles in Government
Antunović became a member of the Croatian Parliament, which is like the country's main law-making body. She served in Parliament from 1995 to 1999, and again from 2003 onwards.
Becoming Deputy President
In 2000, there was a big meeting for the SDP party members. At this meeting, Željka Antunović was chosen as the deputy president of the party. This meant she was second in command.
Minister of Defence
From 2000 to 2003, she also served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia. This is a very high position in the government. In 2002, she was given another big role: Minister of Defence. This made her the first woman ever to be in charge of defence in Croatia. She held this job until the end of 2003.
Leading the Social Democratic Party
In early 2007, the leader of the SDP, Ivica Račan, had to step away from politics because of health problems. Željka Antunović then took over as the temporary leader of the party.
Party Leadership Election
When Račan officially resigned in April 2007, Antunović became the head of the SDP until a new leader could be chosen. She decided to run for the leader position herself. The election for the new party leader happened on 2 June 2007. Other candidates included Milan Bandić, Zoran Milanović, and Tonino Picula. In the end, Zoran Milanović won the election, and Antunović became the former acting leader.
After Politics
After she left her main political roles, Željka Antunović started her own company. This company helps people and businesses with advice. She also helped with the election campaign for Ivo Josipović when he ran for president of Croatia in 2014-2015.
Images for kids
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Antunović in May 2011
