Zoran Milanovic
Encyclopedia
Zoran Milanović is a Croatia
n politician, leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Croatia
(SDP), the main opposition party.
. Zoran has a brother named Krešimir. He attended the Center for Management and Judiciary (an elite high-school). By his own admission, he was very lively and prone to fighting. In 1986, he entered the University of Zagreb
in Judiciary. He learned English
and Russian
, as well as French
.
After college, he became an intern at the Croatian Trade Court, and in 1993 got a job in the Croatian Foreign Ministry, ironically being accepted by future political rival Ivo Sanader
. A year later, he went to Nagorno-Karabakh
as part of a United Nations
peace mission.
In 1994, he also married Sanja Musić-Milanović with whom he later had two sons, Anto and Marko. In 1996, he became an advisor at Croatian mission to the European Union
and NATO at Brussels
. He returned to the Foreign Ministry in 1999, at the end of his mandate.
, he was given responsibility for liaison with NATO, three years later he became assistant to Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
. He left his post after the 2003 elections
when the conservative HDZ
were reelected.
He was elected to SDP's Chief Committee in 2004. Two years later, he briefly became party spokesman
, standing in for absent Gordana Grbić. He was also elected coordinator for the IV. election area for the upcoming 2007 elections
.
's former Prime Minister
Ivica Račan
.
Milanović entered the contest, despite being considered an "outsider", because of his shorter term in the party, running against Željka Antunović
(acting Party President since Račan's resignation), Milan Bandić
and Tonino Picula. On 29 September 2007, during the campaign for party president, he publicly promised to resign and never to seek presidency of the party again, if party didn't win more seats that HDZ in next elections. In the first round he led with 592, well ahead of his nearest rival Željka Antunović. In the second round, he faced Antunović and again won by a large margin, thereby becoming president of the party.
, the party's main economic strategist, as the next Prime Minister. Milanović will lead the party at the 2007 elections.
Since a regular SDP party convention is usually held 6 months after the Parliamentary Election (and hence will be held sometime in April or May 2008), Milanović is really on a temporary presidential term in the party.
His political future will greatly depend on the results of the Parliamentary elections in November, which he has a great chance of winning given his and his parties rising popularity.
Recently Milanović stated that Josip Broz Tito
was a more positive and overall better politician than Franjo Tuđman.
In September 2008, Milanović made a highly-publicized visit to Bleiburg
, Austria
to commemorate the Bleiburg massacre
. This made him the second leader of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia to visit the site, the first being Ivica Račan
.
ended very close with SDP (with 56 seats won) being only 10 mandates short of HDZ's 66 (which included 5 from Croatian diaspora
, which was one of the main campaign issues of SDP that promised eliminating the right of vote to those not living in the country).
The resulting close race left both sides in a position to form a government, provided they win over 77 of the 153 representatives. After the election, Milanović controversially made himself the candidate for prime minister over Ljubo Jurčić
, despite not consulting the party's Main Committee. Despite the best election result ever, Milanović's party remained in opposition, because the sitting Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
was the first to form the majority coalition, which enabled him to stay in office.
After losing general elections, not only he didn't resign (as he previously promised), but he also again entered elections for president of the party in May 2008. He won the election and is currently serving as president of Social Democratic Party of Croatia.
|-
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n politician, leader of the centre-left Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia
Social Democratic Party of Croatia , commonly referred to in Croatia as simply Social Democratic Party , is the largest centre-left political party in Croatia...
(SDP), the main opposition party.
Early life
His father Stipe and mother Gina have roots in SinjSinj
Sinj is a town in the continental part of Split-Dalmatia County, Croatia. The town itself has a population of 11,448, while the population of the administrative municipality which includes surrounding villages is 24,832 ....
. Zoran has a brother named Krešimir. He attended the Center for Management and Judiciary (an elite high-school). By his own admission, he was very lively and prone to fighting. In 1986, he entered the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
in Judiciary. He learned English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, as well as French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
.
After college, he became an intern at the Croatian Trade Court, and in 1993 got a job in the Croatian Foreign Ministry, ironically being accepted by future political rival Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
. A year later, he went to Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
as part of a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
peace mission.
In 1994, he also married Sanja Musić-Milanović with whom he later had two sons, Anto and Marko. In 1996, he became an advisor at Croatian mission to the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and NATO at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. He returned to the Foreign Ministry in 1999, at the end of his mandate.
In SDP
In 1999, he enrolled in SDP (he had not been a member of any party before that). Following SDP's win in the 2000 electionsCroatian parliamentary election, 2000
Elections for the Chamber of Representatives of the Croatian Parliament were held on January 3, 2000. These were the first elections to be held after the expiration of a full term of the previous Chamber....
, he was given responsibility for liaison with NATO, three years later he became assistant to Foreign Minister Tonino Picula
Tonino Picula
Tonino Picula is a Croatian politician of the left-oriented Social Democratic Party of Croatia . He served as a Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2003.-Early life:...
. He left his post after the 2003 elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2003
-External links:*...
when the conservative HDZ
Croatian Democratic Union
The Croatian Democratic Union is the main center-right political party in Croatia. It is the biggest and strongest individual Croatian party since independence of Croatia. The Christian democratic HDZ governed Croatia from 1990 to 2000 and, in partial coalition, from 2003...
were reelected.
He was elected to SDP's Chief Committee in 2004. Two years later, he briefly became party spokesman
Spokesman
A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...
, standing in for absent Gordana Grbić. He was also elected coordinator for the IV. election area for the upcoming 2007 elections
Croatian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections to the Croatian Parliament were held on 25 November 2007 in Croatia and on 24 November and 25 November 2007 abroad. The campaign officially started on 3 November...
.
Election as Party President
An extraordinary Party convention was held in Zagreb on 2 June 2007, due to the 11 April resignation (and 29 April death from kidney cancer) of the first Party President and CroatiaCroatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
's former Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Ivica Račan
Ivica Racan
Ivica Račan was a Croatian career politician, leader of the League of Communists of Croatia and later Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2007...
.
Milanović entered the contest, despite being considered an "outsider", because of his shorter term in the party, running against Željka Antunović
Željka Antunovic
Željka Antunović is a Croatian centre-left politician and the deputy president of the Social Democratic Party , the largest opposition party in Croatia.Antunović was born in Virovitica, Croatia, then SFR Yugoslavia...
(acting Party President since Račan's resignation), Milan Bandić
Milan Bandic
Milan Bandić is an influential Croatian politician currently serving his fourth term as mayor of Croatia's capital, Zagreb. Between 2000 and 2009, he was a prominent member of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia . In 2007, he unsuccessfully ran for party president. However, he remained one of...
and Tonino Picula. On 29 September 2007, during the campaign for party president, he publicly promised to resign and never to seek presidency of the party again, if party didn't win more seats that HDZ in next elections. In the first round he led with 592, well ahead of his nearest rival Željka Antunović. In the second round, he faced Antunović and again won by a large margin, thereby becoming president of the party.
As the new president
Milanović has already expressed his wish to see Ljubo JurčićLjubo Jurcic
Ljubo Jurčić is a Croatian economist, current president of the Croatian Association of Economists since 2006 and former Croatian Minister of the Economy ....
, the party's main economic strategist, as the next Prime Minister. Milanović will lead the party at the 2007 elections.
Since a regular SDP party convention is usually held 6 months after the Parliamentary Election (and hence will be held sometime in April or May 2008), Milanović is really on a temporary presidential term in the party.
His political future will greatly depend on the results of the Parliamentary elections in November, which he has a great chance of winning given his and his parties rising popularity.
Recently Milanović stated that Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
was a more positive and overall better politician than Franjo Tuđman.
In September 2008, Milanović made a highly-publicized visit to Bleiburg
Bleiburg
Bleiburg is a small town in the south Austrian state of Carinthia , south-east of Klagenfurt , in the district of Völkermarkt, some four kilometres from the border with Slovenia....
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to commemorate the Bleiburg massacre
Bleiburg massacre
The Bleiburg massacre, which also encompasses Operation Keelhaul is a term encompassing events that took place during mid-May 1945 near the Carinthian town of Bleiburg, itself some four kilometres from the Austrian-Slovenian border....
. This made him the second leader of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia to visit the site, the first being Ivica Račan
Ivica Racan
Ivica Račan was a Croatian career politician, leader of the League of Communists of Croatia and later Social Democratic Party from 1989 to 2007...
.
New Croatian elections
The 2007 parliamentary electionCroatian parliamentary election, 2007
Parliamentary elections to the Croatian Parliament were held on 25 November 2007 in Croatia and on 24 November and 25 November 2007 abroad. The campaign officially started on 3 November...
ended very close with SDP (with 56 seats won) being only 10 mandates short of HDZ's 66 (which included 5 from Croatian diaspora
Diaspora
A diaspora is "the movement, migration, or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral homeland" or "people dispersed by whatever cause to more than one location", or "people settled far from their ancestral homelands".The word has come to refer to historical mass-dispersions of...
, which was one of the main campaign issues of SDP that promised eliminating the right of vote to those not living in the country).
The resulting close race left both sides in a position to form a government, provided they win over 77 of the 153 representatives. After the election, Milanović controversially made himself the candidate for prime minister over Ljubo Jurčić
Ljubo Jurcic
Ljubo Jurčić is a Croatian economist, current president of the Croatian Association of Economists since 2006 and former Croatian Minister of the Economy ....
, despite not consulting the party's Main Committee. Despite the best election result ever, Milanović's party remained in opposition, because the sitting Prime Minister Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader
Ivo Sanader |Split]]) is a Croatian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2003 to 2009.Sanader obtained his education in comparative literature in Austria, where he also later worked in the 1980s. He worked as a journalist, in marketing, publishing and also as a private...
was the first to form the majority coalition, which enabled him to stay in office.
After losing general elections, not only he didn't resign (as he previously promised), but he also again entered elections for president of the party in May 2008. He won the election and is currently serving as president of Social Democratic Party of Croatia.
External links
|-