conventional long form: Republic of Croatia
conventional short form: Croatia
local long form: Republika Hrvatska
local short form: Hrvatska

HR

presidential/parliamentary democracy

Zagreb

20 counties (zupanije, zupanija - singular),
1 city (grad -singular)*: Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska Zupanija,
Brodsko-Posavska Zupanija, Dubrovacko-Neretvanska Zupanija, Istarska
Zupanija, Karlovacka Zupanija, Koprivnicko-Krizevacka Zupanija,
Krapinsko-Zagorska Zupanija, Licko-Senjska Zupanija, Medimurska
Zupanija, Osjecko-Baranjska Zupanija, Pozesko-Slavonska Zupanija,
Primorsko-Goranska Zupanija, Sibensko-Kninska Zupanija,
Sisacko-Moslavacka Zupanija, Splitsko-Dalmatinska Zupanija,
Varazdinska Zupanija, Viroviticko-Podravska Zupanija,
Vukovarsko-Srijemska Zupanija, Zadarska Zupanija, Zagreb*, Zagrebacka
Zupanija

25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)

Statehood Day, 30 May (1990)

adopted on 22 December 1990

based on civil law system

18 years of age; universal (16 years of age, if employed)

chief of state: President Stjepan (Stipe) MESIC (since 18 February
2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Ivica RACAN (since 27 January
2000); Deputy Prime Ministers Goran GRANIC (since NA February 2000),
Zeljka ANTUNOVIC (since NA February 2000), Slavko LINIC (since NA
February 2000)
cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved
by the president and the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 7 February 2000 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Stjepan MESIC elected president; percent of vote -
Stjepan MESIC (HNS) 56%, Drazen BUDISA (HSLS) 44%
note: government coalition - SDP, HSLS, HSS, LP, HNS, IDS

bicameral Assembly or Sabor consists of the House
of Counties or Zupanijski Dom (68 seats - 63 directly elected by
popular vote, 5 appointed by the president; members serve four-year
terms) and House of Representatives or the Zastupnicki Dom (151 seats,
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Counties - last held 13 April 1997 (next to be
held NA 2001); House of Representatives - last held 2-3 January 2000
(next to be held NA 2004)
election results: House of Counties - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - HDZ 42, HDZ/HSS 11, HSS 2, IDS 2, SDP/PGS/HNS 2,
SDP/HNS 2, HSLS/HSS/HNS 1, HSLS 1; note - in some districts certain
parties ran as coalitions, while in others they ran alone; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HDZ
46, SDP 44, HSLS 24, HSS 17, HSP/HKDU 5, IDS 4, HNS 2, independents 4,
others 5

Supreme Court, judges appointed for eight-year terms
by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is elected by the House
of Representatives; Constitutional Court, judges appointed for
eight-year terms by the Judicial Council of the Republic, which is
elected by the House of Representatives

Action of the Social Democrats of
Croatia or ASH ; Alliance of Croatian Coast and
Mountains Department or PGS ; Croatian Christian
Democratic Union or HKDU ; Croatian
Democratic Independents or HND ; Croatian
Democratic Union or HDZ ; Croatian
Party of Rights or HSP ; Croatian Party of Rights 1861 or
HSP 1861 ; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko
TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS ;
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS ;
Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS ;
Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS ; Liberal Party or
LP ; Party of Democratic Action or SDA
; Primorje Gorski Kotar Alliance ; Serbian
National Party or SNS ; Slanvonsko-Baranja Croatian
Party or SBHS ; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP

the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social
Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP, and
IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ in
the 2000 lower house parliamentary election

NA

BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD,
ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

chief of mission: Ambassador Miomir ZUZUL
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:  (202) 588-5899
FAX:  (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York

chief of mission: Ambassador William D. MONTGOMERY
embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone:  (1) 455-55-00
FAX:  (1) 455-85-85

red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian
coat of arms (red and white checkered)