Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
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Official portrait, 2015
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| President of Croatia | |
| In office 19 February 2015 – 18 February 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Zoran Milanović Tihomir Orešković Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Ivo Josipović |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Milanović |
| Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Public Diplomacy | |
| In office 4 July 2011 – 2 October 2014 |
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| Secretary General | Anders Fogh Rasmussen Jens Stoltenberg |
| Preceded by | Stefanie Babst (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Ted Whiteside (acting) |
| Ambassador of Croatia to the United States | |
| In office 8 March 2008 – 4 July 2011 |
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| President | Stjepan Mesić Ivo Josipović |
| Preceded by | Neven Jurica |
| Succeeded by | Vice Skračić (acting) |
| Minister of Foreign and European Affairs | |
| In office 17 February 2005 – 12 January 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader |
| Preceded by | Miomir Žužul (Foreign Affairs) Herself (European Affairs) |
| Succeeded by | Gordan Jandroković |
| Minister of European Affairs | |
| In office 23 December 2003 – 16 February 2005 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader |
| Preceded by | Neven Mimica |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kolinda Grabar
29 April 1968 Rijeka, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (modern Croatia) |
| Political party | Croatian Democratic Union (1993–2015) Independent (2015–present) |
| Spouse |
Jakov Kitarović
(m. 1996) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education |
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| Signature | .jpg) |
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (born 29 April 1968) is a Croatian politician and diplomat. She was the president of Croatia from 2015 to 2020. She was the first woman to be elected to this important job. She was also the youngest person to become president at 46 years old.
Before becoming president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović held many important roles. She was a minister in the Croatian government. She also served as the Croatian ambassador to the United States. Later, she became an assistant secretary general at NATO. This is a big international organization that helps countries work together for safety.
She has received many awards for her work. These include the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Award. She was a member of the Croatian Democratic Union party. However, she had to leave the party when she became president. In Croatia, presidents must not belong to any political party while in office. As president, she started the Three Seas Initiative. This project helps countries in Central and Eastern Europe connect better. In 2017, Forbes magazine named her one of the world's most powerful women. In 2020, she joined the International Olympic Committee.
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Early Life and Education
Kolinda Grabar was born on April 29, 1968, in Rijeka, Croatia. Her parents were Dubravka and Branko Grabar. She grew up in her parents' village of Lopača. Her family owned a butcher shop and a ranch there. When she was 17, she joined a student exchange program. She moved to Los Alamos, New Mexico, in the United States. She finished high school there in 1986.
After returning to Yugoslavia, she studied at the University of Zagreb. In 1993, she earned a degree in English and Spanish languages. She also studied at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna from 1995 to 1996. In 2000, she earned a master's degree in international relations. She continued her studies at George Washington University in the US. She also visited Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University for research. In 2015, she started her doctoral studies in international relations.
Career Highlights
In 1992, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović started working for the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 1993, she joined the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party. She then moved to the Foreign Ministry. There, she became an advisor. From 1995 to 1997, she led the North American department. After that, she worked at the Croatian embassy in Canada.
In 2003, she was elected to the Croatian Parliament. She became the Minister of European integration. Her job was to help Croatia join the European Union. In 2005, she became the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. This made her the first woman to hold this position. Her main goal was to help Croatia join the European Union and NATO. She also led the State Delegation for negotiations on Croatia's entry into the European Union. She was the first woman to lead the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention.
In 2008, she became the Croatian ambassador to the United States. She worked there until 2011. During this time, she joined President George W. Bush and NATO Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer. They signed agreements for Albania and Croatia to join NATO.
In 2011, she was appointed Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy at NATO. She was the first woman to hold this role. Her job was to help people understand NATO better. She worked there until 2014.
Presidential Election 2014–15
In 2014, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović decided to run for president. She was the official candidate for the Croatian Democratic Union party. She ran against the current president, Ivo Josipović, and two other candidates. In the first round of voting in December 2014, she came in second place. Since no one won more than 50% of the votes, a second round was held.
The second round of voting took place on January 11, 2015. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović won with 50.7% of the votes. She became Croatia's first female president. She was also the first conservative president in 15 years. She officially took office on February 19, 2015. She was the first woman in Europe to defeat a sitting president who was running for re-election.
Presidency (2015–2020)
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During her time as president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović faced several challenges. One was the European migrant crisis in 2015. Many migrants entered Croatia, and she appointed a special commissioner to help manage the situation.
She also called for new parliamentary elections in 2015. When forming a new government took a long time, she put pressure on political parties to find a solution. Eventually, a new government was formed.
In 2015, she rejected a petition to use a controversial salute in the Croatian Armed Forces. She called the salute "frivolous, unacceptable and provocative." She later clarified that while it was a historical greeting, it had been "compromised and unacceptable" due to its use by a criminal regime.
In 2016, she helped officially form the Three Seas Initiative. This group of countries works together on energy, transport, and digital projects. She also visited Tehran and discussed economic cooperation with the Iranian president.
In 2018, during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, she attended matches to support the Croatian national team. She traveled at her own expense and often watched from regular stands. This made her very popular. She was seen as a star of the tournament. She stated that she condemns all totalitarian regimes, including Nazism, fascism, and communism.
She received the Fulbright Association's 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award. This was for her important work as a leader and diplomat.
Presidential Election 2019–20
In August 2019, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović announced she would run for a second term as president. Her campaign slogan was "Because I believe in Croatia." She faced 10 other candidates in the first round of voting in December 2019. She came in second place, meaning she had to go to a run-off election. This was the first time a sitting Croatian president did not win the most votes in the first round.
The run-off election was held on January 5, 2020. She was defeated by Zoran Milanović. She left office on February 18, 2020.
Political Views
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović describes herself as a "modern conservative." Her political views are generally seen as conservative. Some people also describe her actions as populist or nationalist.
On the topic of same-sex marriage, she supported the Life Partnership Act. This law gives same-sex couples similar rights to married heterosexual couples, except for adoption. She also spoke about the importance of supporting women and children.
She has spoken about the dangers of climate change and supported green initiatives. In 2016, she signed the Paris Agreement. This is an international agreement to fight climate change.
International Olympic Committee
In 2020, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was elected to the International Olympic Committee. She is the first woman from Croatia to be a member of this important sports organization.
Personal Life
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has been married to Jakov Kitarović since 1996. They have two children. Their daughter, Katarina, born in 2001, is a talented figure skater. Their son, Luka, was born around 2003.
She is a practicing Roman Catholic. She has said that she regularly attends Mass and prays the Rosary.
She speaks Croatian, English, Spanish, and Portuguese very well. She also understands some German, French, and Italian. In 2020, she made a guest appearance in a Croatian TV show called Dar mar.
Honours
Albania: Recipient of the National Flag Decoration (29 October 2019)
Bulgaria: Sash of the Order of Stara Planina (25 August 2016)
Kuwait: Collar of the Order of Mubarak the Great (5 February 2017)
Portugal: Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry (27 April 2018)
See also
- Three Seas Initiative
- List of elected and appointed female heads of state
