Republic of Croatia
Capital: Zagreb Type of Government: Parliamentary Democracy Date of Independence: 25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia) National Holidays: Independence Day, 8 October (1991) and Statehood Day, 25 June (1991) Chief of State: President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic Head of Government: Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic Executive Branch: chief of state: President Kolinda GRABAR-KITAROVIC (since 19 February 2015) head of government: Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic (since 23 December 2011); First Deputy Prime Minister Vesna Pusic (since 16 November 2012) cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 January 2010 (next to be held in December 2014); the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president and approved by the Assembly Legislative Branch: unicameral Assembly or Hrvatski Sabor (151 seats; members directly elected by party-list proportional representation vote using the D'Hondt method with a 5% threshold: 14 seats in each of 10 districts; 8 seats in a single nationwide district for minorities; 3 seats in a single special district for the Croatian diaspora, members elected for 4-year terms) Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and vice president, 25 civil department justices, and 16 criminal department justices) judge selection and term of office: president of Supreme Court nominated by president of Croatia and elected by Croatian Sabor for a 4-year term; other Supreme Court justices appointed by National Judicial Council; all judges serve until age 70 subordinate courts: Administrative Court; county, municipal, and specialized courts; note - there is an 11-member Constitutional Court with jurisdiction limited to constitutional issues but is outside Croatia's judicial system Suffrage: 18 years of age, 16 if employed; universal Ambassador to US: Ambassador Josip "Josko" Paro Location of Embassy: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 Consulates: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York US Ambassador: Ambassador Kenneth Merten US Embassy: 2 Thomas Jefferson Street, 10010 Zagreb Consulates: N/A Representative to UN: Vladimir Drobnjak Flag Description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue - the Pan-Slav colors - superimposed by the Croatian coat of arms; the coat of arms consists of one main shield (a checkerboard of 13 red and 12 silver (white) fields) surmounted by five smaller shields that form a crown over the main shield; the five small shields represent five historic regions, they are (from left to right): Croatia, Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, Istria, and Slavonia
National Anthem: "Lijepa nasa domovino" (Our Beautiful Homeland) Click Here to Listen National Symbol: red-white checkerboard International Disputes: dispute remains with Bosnia and Herzegovina over several small sections of the boundary related to maritime access that hinders ratification of the 1999 border agreement; since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 1990s, Croatia and Slovenia have each claimed sovereignty over Pirin Bay and four villages, and Slovenia has objected to Croatia's claim of an exclusive economic zone in the Adriatic Sea; in 2009, however Croatia and Slovenia signed a binding international arbitration agreement to define their disputed land and maritime borders, which led to Slovenia lifting its objections to Croatia joining the EU; Slovenia continues to impose a hard border Schengen regime with Croatia, which joined the EU in 2013 but has not yet fulfilled Schengen requirements Refugees: N/A Internationally Displaced Persons: N/A Stateless Persons: 2,886 Human Trafficking: Very prevalent among men and women in Croatia Drug Trafficking: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe; has been used as a transit point for maritime shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe |
President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic
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