Zoran Milanović facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Zoran Milanović
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Milanović in 2021
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| President of Croatia | |
| Assumed office 19 February 2020 |
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| Prime Minister | Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović |
| Prime Minister of Croatia | |
| In office 23 December 2011 – 22 January 2016 |
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| President | Ivo Josipović Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović |
| Deputy | Radimir Čačić Branko Grčić Milanka Opačić Vesna Pusić |
| Preceded by | Jadranka Kosor |
| Succeeded by | Tihomir Orešković |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 January 2016 – 26 November 2016 |
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| Prime Minister | Tihomir Orešković Andrej Plenković |
| Preceded by | Tomislav Karamarko |
| Succeeded by | Davor Bernardić |
| In office 2 June 2007 – 23 December 2011 |
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| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader Jadranka Kosor |
| Preceded by | Ivica Račan Željka Antunović (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Jadranka Kosor |
| President of the Social Democratic Party | |
| In office 2 June 2007 – 26 November 2016 |
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| Deputy | Zlatko Komadina Gordan Maras Milanka Opačić Rajko Ostojić |
| Preceded by | Ivica Račan Željka Antunović (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Davor Bernardić |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1966 Zagreb, SR Croatia, Yugoslavia |
| Political party | Independent (2020–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Social Democratic Party (1999–2020) |
| Spouse |
Sanja Musić
(m. 1994) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parents |
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| Alma mater |
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| Signature |  |
Zoran Milanović (born 30 October 1966) is a Croatian politician. He is currently the president of Croatia. He was first elected in 2020 and then re-elected in 2025.
Before becoming president, he was the prime minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016. He also led the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 2007 to 2016.
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Early Life and Family Background
Zoran Milanović was born in Zagreb, which was then part of Yugoslavia. His father, Stipe Milanović, was an economist. His mother, Đurđica, was a teacher of English and German.
His family has roots in different parts of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. His paternal grandparents joined the Yugoslav Partisans during World War II. His maternal grandfather was killed during the war.
Milanović was secretly baptized as Marijan by his maternal grandmother. He grew up in Zagreb and had a brother named Krešimir, who passed away in 2019.
Education and Early Career Steps
Milanović attended the Center for Management and Judiciary in Zagreb. In 1985, he began studying law at the University of Zagreb. He also completed his military service.
After college, he worked as an intern at the Zagreb Commercial Court. In 1993, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1994, he joined an OSCE peacekeeping mission in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. This area is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The same year, he married Sanja Musić. They have two sons, Ante Jakov and Marko.
Besides Croatian, he can speak English, French, and Russian. Milanović is also a fan of the Croatian football club Hajduk Split.
Starting His Political Journey
After finishing university, Milanović continued working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1996 to 1999, he was an advisor at the Croatian mission to the European Union and NATO in Brussels.
In 1999, he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He earned his master's degree in European Union law in 1998.
Becoming Party Leader
In June 2007, Milanović was elected president of the SDP. This happened after the death of the party's long-time leader, Ivica Račan.
Under Milanović's leadership, the SDP came in second place in the 2007 Croatian parliamentary election. They were not able to form a government. Despite this, he was re-elected as party leader in 2008.
In 2011, Milanović helped create the Kukuriku Coalition. This group brought together four political parties from the center to center-left.
The coalition won a clear majority in the 2011 Croatian parliamentary election. The SDP became the largest party in the Croatian Parliament. Milanović became Prime Minister on 23 December 2011.
Serving as Prime Minister (2011–2016)
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When Milanović became Prime Minister, he was 45 years old. This made him one of the youngest prime ministers since Croatia became independent. His government was also very young, with ministers around 48 years old on average.
He was re-elected as the SDP president in 2012. He was the only candidate in that leadership election.
Key Actions as Prime Minister
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His time as prime minister began with efforts to complete Croatia's entry into the European Union. A referendum was held in 2012 for Croatia to join the EU.
His government made changes to tax laws and started big building projects. When the value of the Swiss franc changed, the government decided to convert all Swiss franc loans into euros.
Milanović supported more rights for same-sex couples. He introduced the Life Partnership Act. This law gave same-sex couples similar rights to married couples.
After the 2015 Croatian parliamentary election, it took over two months to form a new government. Milanović was eventually replaced by Tihomir Orešković in January 2016.
After Being Prime Minister
After Orešković's government ended, Milanović led the People's Coalition in the 2016 Croatian parliamentary election. In September, his coalition unexpectedly lost to the Croatian Democratic Union.
After this defeat, Milanović announced he was leaving politics. He then started a consulting business. He also worked as an advisor to the Albanian prime minister, Edi Rama.
Running for President
On 17 June 2019, Milanović announced he would run for president in the 2019–20 Croatian presidential election. He was the candidate for the SDP.
In the first round of the election on 22 December 2019, he received the most votes (29.55%). He was ahead of the current president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.
Milanović was elected the fifth president of Croatia in the runoff election on 5 January 2020. He won with 52.66% of the votes. He became the first former prime minister of Croatia to be elected head of state.
Presidency (2020–Present)
Zoran Milanović became the 5th president of Croatia on 18 February 2020. His inauguration ceremony was different from previous ones. It was not held at St. Mark's Square.
Instead, Milanović chose a smaller ceremony with about 40 guests. These guests included state officials, former presidents, his family, and campaign team members. Party leaders, diplomats, and church officials were not invited.
The ceremony began with the national anthem, "Lijepa naša domovino". It was performed by singer Josipa Lisac and pianist Zvjezdan Ružić. Their unique performance caused a lot of discussion about artistic freedom.
First Presidential Trips and Meetings
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Milanović's first trip as president was on 27 February 2020 to Otočec ob Krki, Slovenia. There, he met with Slovenian president Borut Pahor.
They both agreed to work on improving relations between their countries. They also talked about border issues and Croatia joining the Schengen Area. They discussed border controls due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Milanović also spoke about Montenegro, Albania, and North Macedonia joining the European Union. Later, he visited Montenegro and met with its president, Milo Đukanović.
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Views on Regional and International Issues
In January 2021, Milanović refused to attend a ceremony for Operation Maslenica. This was because symbols of the Croatian Defence Forces were to be displayed.
In September 2021, he stated his opinion that Bunjevci are Croatians. The national council of Bunjevci disagreed. They said that Bunjevci have lived in Subotica for 350 years and are distinct from Croats.
In November 2021, Austria's foreign ministry asked the Croatian ambassador for an explanation. This was after Milanović compared Austria's COVID-19 lockdown to methods used during the era of Nazism.
Discussions on NATO Expansion
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In April 2022, Milanović suggested blocking Finland and Sweden from joining NATO. He wanted changes to the electoral law in Bosnia and Herzegovina first. This law would allow Bosniaks to elect a Croat member of the Presidency.
He said he would call any Croatian Parliament member who voted for NATO expansion a "political traitor." However, on 28 April 2022, Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman announced that Croatia supported Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership.
In May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also opposed Finland and Sweden's NATO membership. Later, in June 2022, Turkey withdrew its objections.
When Finland's foreign minister said his country was surprised by Milanović's statements, Milanović responded. He said, "Welcome to the club, mister foreign minister. We have been shocked for several years already by your ignorance and rudeness."
Despite his earlier comments, Milanović did not veto Finland and Sweden joining NATO at the 2022 NATO Madrid summit.
2024–25 Presidential Election
Milanović ran for a second term as president in December 2024. He came in first place but did not win enough votes to avoid a runoff election. He received 49% of the vote.
The runoff election was in January 2025 against Dragan Primorac of the HDZ party. Milanović won the runoff with 74.69% of the votes. This was the highest percentage of votes for a presidential candidate in Croatia since its independence in 1991.
Honours
| Ribbon | Distinction | Country | Date | Location | Notes | Reference |
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Order of Merit with a collar |  Chile |
12 December 2022 | Santiago | Highest civil decoration in Chile |
See also
- Cabinet of Zoran Milanović
- List of international presidential trips made by Zoran Milanović
Images for kids
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Milanović's approval rating as prime minister
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Predstavljanje nove Vlade RH (6558639067).jpg
Milanović presenting his government's work program
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Milanović's government approval rating
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Milanović at the Summit of Prime Ministers of Central and Eastern Europe in Bucharest, 26 November 2013
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Milanović with other members of the People's Coalition in Zabok, where they signed a coalition agreement on 16 July 2016
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