Prime Minister of Croatia

The prime minister of Croatia, officially the president of the government of the Republic of Croatia (), is Croatia's head of government, and is de facto the most powerful and influential state officeholder in the Croatian system of government. Following the first-time establishment of the office in 1945, the 1990–2000 semi-presidential period is the only exception where the president of Croatia held de facto executive authority. In the formal Croatian order of precedence, however, the position of prime minister is the third highest state office, after the president of the Republic and the speaker of the Parliament.

The Constitution of Croatia prescribes that "Parliament supervises the Government" (Article 81) and that "the President of the Republic ensures the regular and balanced functioning and stability of government" (as a whole; Article 94), while the Government is introduced in Article 108. Since 2000, the prime minister has had various added constitutional powers and is mentioned before the Government itself in the text of the Constitution, in Articles 87, 97, 99, 100, 101, 103, 104.

The Constitution of Croatia was subsequently also changed significantly on 22 December 1990, as the so-called "Christmas Constitution" fundamentally defined the Republic of Croatia and its governmental structure. From this point onwards, Croatia was a semi-presidential republic, which meant the president of Croatia had broad executive powers (further expanded with laws to a point of superpresidentialism), including the appointment and dismissal of the prime minister and other officials in the government.

Following the May 1991 independence referendum in which 93% of voters approved secession, Croatia formally proclaimed independence from Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991, with Josip Manolić continuing in the role of prime minister as head of government of an independent Croatia. However, the country then signed the July 1991 Brijuni Agreement in which it agreed to postpone further activities towards severing ties with Yugoslavia. Meanwhile, the Croatian War of Independence ensued, and Franjo Gregurić was appointed to lead a Government of National Unity. In October the same year, Croatia formally severed all remaining legal ties with the Yugoslav Federation.

Since independence

During the period between 1990 and the next constitutional amendments in late 2000, Croatia had seven prime ministers.

Following the January 2000 general election the winning centre-left coalition led by the Social Democratic Party amended the Constitution and effectively stripped the President of most of his executive powers, strengthening the role of the Parliament and the prime minister, turning Croatia into a parliamentary republic. The prime minister again (as before 1990) became the foremost post in Croatian politics.

As of 2025 there have been 12 Prime Ministers who have chaired 16 governments since the first multi-party elections. Nine prime ministers were members of the Croatian Democratic Union during their terms of office, two were members of the Social Democratic Party and one was not a member of any political party. Since independence there has been one female prime minister (Jadranka Kosor).

List of prime ministers

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" |No.

! rowspan="2" |Portrait

! rowspan="2" |Name

! rowspan="2" |Election

! colspan="3" |Term of office

! rowspan="2" |Party

! rowspan="2" |Cabinet

! rowspan="2" |Composition

! rowspan="2" |President

! Term start

!Term end

!Duration

| 85px

|Stjepan Mesić

| class="nowrap" |1990

| class="nowrap" | 30 May 1990

| class="nowrap" | 24 August 1990

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Mesić

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Franjo Tuđman 50px

| 85px

| Josip Manolić

| class="nowrap" |

| class="nowrap" | 24 August 1990

| class="nowrap" | 25 June 1991

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Manolić

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

Croatia formally declared itself independent on 25 June 1991. After the declaration of independence, the position continued to be named the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" |No.

! rowspan="2" |Portrait

! rowspan="2" |Name

! rowspan="2" |Election

! colspan="3" |Term of office

! rowspan="2" |Party

! rowspan="2" |Cabinet

! rowspan="2" |Composition

! rowspan="2" |President

! Term start

!Term end

!Duration

|85px

|Josip Manolić

|class="nowrap" |

|class="nowrap" | 25 June 1991

|class="nowrap" | 17 July 1991

|style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

|style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Manolić

|style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

|rowspan="6" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Franjo Tuđman 50px

|85px

|Franjo Gregurić

| class="nowrap" |

| class="nowrap" | 17 July 1991

|12 August 1992

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Gregurić

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

|85px

|Hrvoje Šarinić

| class="nowrap" |1992

| class="nowrap" | 12 August 1992

|3 April 1993

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Šarinić

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Nikica Valentić

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" | 3 April 1993

| rowspan="2" | 7 November 1995

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Valentić

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Zlatko Mateša

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |1995

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" | 7 November 1995

| rowspan="2" |27 January 2000

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Mateša

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="6" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Stjepan Mesić 50px

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Ivica Račan

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |2000

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" | 27 January 2000

| rowspan="2" |23 December 2003

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#FFCCCC " |SDP

| style="background:#FFCCCC " |Račan I

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| style="background:#FFCCCC " |Račan II

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Ivo Sanader

| class="nowrap" |2003

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |23 December 2003

| rowspan="2" |6 July 2009

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Sanader I

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| class="nowrap" |2007

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Sanader II

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Jadranka Kosor

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |6 July 2009

| rowspan="2" |23 December 2011

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="2" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Kosor

| rowspan="2" style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| rowspan="2" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Ivo Josipović 50px

! rowspan="2"

| rowspan="2" |85px

| rowspan="2" |Zoran Milanović

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" |2011

| rowspan="2" class="nowrap" | 23 December 2011

| rowspan="2" |22 January 2016

| rowspan="2" |

| rowspan="2" style="background:#FFCCCC " |SDP

| rowspan="2" style="background:#FFCCCC " |Milanović

| rowspan="2" style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| rowspan="4" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Kolinda Grabar Kitarović 50px

! 11

|85px

|Tihomir Orešković

| class="nowrap" |2015

| class="nowrap" | 22 January 2016

|19 October 2016

| style="background:" |Independent

| style="background:" |Orešković

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

! rowspan="5"

| rowspan="5" |85px

| rowspan="5" |Andrej Plenković

| rowspan="3" class="nowrap" |2016

| rowspan="5" class="nowrap" | 19 October 2016

| rowspan="5" |Incumbent

| rowspan="5" |

| rowspan="5" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |HDZ

| rowspan="3" style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Plenković I

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " | HDZ

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| rowspan="3" scope="row" style="text-align:center;" bgcolor="#EEEEEE" |Zoran Milanović 50px

| class="nowrap" |2020

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Plenković II

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

| class="nowrap" |2024

| style="background:#ADD8E6 " |Plenković III

| style="background:#DDDDDD " |

; Notes

:1. From 1990 until the constitutional changes enacted in 2000, which replaced a powerful semi-presidential system (de facto a superpresidential system) with an incomplete parliamentary system, the term of the Prime Minister legally began on the date on which he was appointed by the President of the Republic and not on the date when he received a vote of confidence in Parliament, as is the case since 2000.

:2. Until 12 October 2010.

Timeline

This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Croatia. They are listed in order of office.

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Spouses of prime ministers

{| class="wikitable"

! Name

! Relation to Prime Minister

| Milka Mesić (née Dudunić)

| wife of Prime Minister Stjepan Mesić

| Marija Eker Manolić

| wife of Prime Minister Josip Manolić

| Jozefina Gregurić (née Abramović)

| wife of Prime Minister Franjo Gregurić

| Erika Šarinić

| wife of Prime Minister Hrvoje Šarinić

| Antonela Valentić

| wife of Prime Minister Nikica Valentić

| Sanja Gregurić-Mateša

| wife of Prime Minister Zlatko Mateša

| Dijana Pleština

| wife of Prime Minister Ivica Račan

| Mirjana Sanader (née Šarić)

| wife of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader

| Jadranka Kosor divorced before becoming prime minister

| Sanja Musić Milanović

| wife of Prime Minister Zoran Milanović

| Sanja Dujmović Orešković

| wife of Prime Minister Tihomir Orešković

| Ana Maslać Plenković

| wife of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković

Prime Minister of Croatia

Since independence

List of prime ministers

Timeline

Spouses of prime ministers

See also

References