Prime Minister of Croatia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Government of the Republic of Croatia
Flag of the president of the Croatian government
Incumbent Andrej Plenković since 19 October 2016
Government of Croatia Office of the President of the Government
Style	Mr. Prime Minister or President of the Government Croatian: Gospodin predsjednik Vlade (formal) His Excellency Croatian: Njegov ekscelencija (in international correspondence and abroad only)
Member of	Government of Croatia European Council (EU) Also: North Atlantic Council (NATO)
Reports to	Croatian Parliament
Seat	Banski Dvori, Trg sv. Marka 2, Zagreb, Croatia
Nominator	President of Croatia
Appointer	Croatian Parliament
Term length	At the pleasure of the parliamentary majority. Parliamentary elections must be held no later than 60 days after the expiration of a full parliamentary term of 4 years, but an incumbent prime minister shall remain in office in a caretaker capacity until a new government is confirmed in Parliament and sworn in by its speaker.
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Croatia
Inaugural holder	Stjepan Mesić (after adoption of constitutional Amendment LXXIII) Josip Manolić (under current Constitution)
Formation	25 July 1990 (by constitutional Amendment LXXIII) 22 December 1990 (under current Constitution)
Deputy	Deputy Prime Minister (position held by one or more members of the government)
Salary	€55752 yearly

The prime minister of Croatia, officially called the president of the government of the Republic of Croatia, is the main leader of the Croatian government. This person is usually the most powerful and important official in the country's government system.

The office was first created in 1945. Between 1990 and 2000, Croatia had a system where the president of Croatia held more power. However, since 2000, the prime minister has once again become the most important political figure.

The Constitution of Croatia explains the prime minister's role. It says that the Parliament watches over the government, and the President makes sure the government works well. The current prime minister of Croatia is Andrej Plenković. The Croatian government meets in Banski dvori, a historic building in Zagreb.

What is the Prime Minister's Official Name?

The official name for the prime minister in Croatia means "President of the Government" (Predsjednik / Predsjednica Vlade). People in Croatia also often use the shorter term Premijer / Premijerka, which means "Premier."

A Look at the Prime Minister's History

How Did the Role Begin?

Before Croatia became fully independent, it was part of larger states. From 1868 to 1918, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia was led by the Ban of Croatia, who represented the King.

After World War II, Croatia became a republic within Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. The first head of government was Vladimir Bakarić, starting in 1945. At that time, this role was very powerful, along with the leader of the Communist Party. In 1952, the title changed to President of the Executive Council. It's interesting to note that Savka Dabčević-Kučar was the first woman in Europe to lead a government in this role, from 1967 to 1969.

Croatia's Journey to Independence

After 1990, Croatia started holding multi-party elections. Stjepan Mesić became the President of the Executive Council in May 1990.

On July 25, 1990, the new Croatian Parliament made many changes to the constitution. They removed old socialist references and adopted new national symbols. The Government of the Republic of Croatia was officially created.

The Constitution of Croatia was changed again in December 1990. This new "Christmas Constitution" set up the Republic of Croatia and its government. From this point, Croatia was a semi-presidential republic. This meant the president of Croatia had a lot of power, including choosing and removing the prime minister.

Croatia voted for independence in May 1991, with 93% of people supporting it. The country officially declared independence from Yugoslavia on June 25, 1991. Josip Manolić continued as prime minister. However, Croatia then agreed to pause its separation from Yugoslavia. During this time, the Croatian War of Independence began. Franjo Gregurić was appointed to lead a special "Government of National Unity." In October 1991, Croatia finally broke all ties with Yugoslavia.

Prime Ministers Since Independence

Between 1990 and 2000, Croatia had seven different prime ministers.

After the January 2000 election, the winning political parties changed the Constitution. They reduced the President's powers and made the Parliament and the prime minister much stronger. This made Croatia a parliamentary republic. The prime minister once again became the most important political position in Croatia, just like before 1990.

As of 2022, Croatia has had twelve prime ministers who have led 14 governments since the first multi-party elections. Most of them were members of the Croatian Democratic Union party. Two were from the Social Democratic Party of Croatia, and one was not part of any political party. So far, Croatia has had one female prime minister, Jadranka Kosor.

Who Has Been Prime Minister of Croatia?

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Election	Term of office			Party	Cabinet	Composition	President (Term)
				Term start	Term end	Duration
1		Stjepan Mesić (1934–)	1990	30 May 1990	24 August 1990	86 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Mesić	HDZ	Franjo Tuđman (1990–1999)
2		Josip Manolić (1920–2024)	—	24 August 1990	25 June 1991	305 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Manolić	HDZ

Croatia officially declared itself independent on 25 June 1991. After this, the leader continued to be called the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Election	Term of office			Party	Cabinet	Composition	President (Term)
				Term start	Term end	Duration
2		Josip Manolić (1920–2024)	—	25 June 1991	17 July 1991	22 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Manolić	HDZ	Franjo Tuđman (1990–1999)
3		Franjo Gregurić (1939–)	—	17 July 1991	12 August 1992	1 year, 26 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Gregurić	HDZ • SDP • HSLS • HNS • HKDS • HDS • SDSH • SSH
4		Hrvoje Šarinić (1935–2017)	1992	12 August 1992	3 April 1993	234 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Šarinić	HDZ
5		Nikica Valentić (1950–2023)	—	3 April 1993	7 November 1995	2 years, 218 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Valentić	From 3 April 1993 to 31 December 1994: HDZ • HSS
									From 31 December 1994 to 7 November 1995: HDZ
6		Zlatko Mateša (1949–)	1995	7 November 1995	27 January 2000	4 years, 81 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Mateša	HDZ
										Stjepan Mesić (2000–2010)
7		Ivica Račan (1944–2007)	2000	27 January 2000	23 December 2003	3 years, 330 days	SDP Social Democratic Party	Račan I	SDP • HSLS • HNS • HSS • IDS • LS
								Račan II	SDP • HSS • HNS • Libra • LS
8		Ivo Sanader (1953–)	2003	23 December 2003	6 July 2009	5 years, 195 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Sanader I	HDZ • DC
			2007					Sanader II	HDZ • HSLS • HSS • SDSS
9		Jadranka Kosor (1953–)	—	6 July 2009	23 December 2011	2 years, 170 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Kosor	HDZ • HSLS • HSS • SDSS
										Ivo Josipović (2010–2015)
10		Zoran Milanović (1966–)	2011	23 December 2011	22 January 2016	4 years, 30 days	SDP Social Democratic Party	Milanović	SDP • HNS • IDS
										Kolinda Grabar Kitarović (2015–2020)
11		Tihomir Orešković (1966–)	2015	22 January 2016	19 October 2016	271 days	Independent	Orešković	HDZ • MOST
12		Andrej Plenković (1970–)	2016	19 October 2016	Incumbent	8 years, 260 days	HDZ Croatian Democratic Union	Plenković I	From 19 October 2016 to 28 April 2017: HDZ • MOST
									From 28 April to 9 June 2017: HDZ
									From 9 June 2017 to 23 July 2020: HDZ • HNS	Zoran Milanović (2020–present)
			2020					Plenković II	HDZ • SDSS
			2024					Plenković III	HDZ • DP

Timeline: How Long Have Prime Ministers Served?

This chart shows how long each prime minister of Croatia has lived and served in office. They are listed in the order they held the position.

Who Are the Spouses of Prime Ministers?

See Also

• List of cabinets of Croatia
• List of Croatian prime ministers by time in office
• President of Croatia
  • List of presidents of Croatia
• Speaker of the Croatian Parliament
• Politics of Croatia