The prime minister of Croatia, officially the president of the government of the Republic of Croatia (Croatian: Predsjednik / Predsjednica Vlade Republike Hrvatske), is the head of government of Croatia. Due to the office's broad authority over government affairs, it is considered the most powerful seat in the Croatian political system. From 1990 to 2000 – during the semi-presidential period – the president of Croatia held de facto executive authority. The position of prime minister ranks third in the Croatian order of precedence, following the Croatian President and Croatian Parliament Speaker. The prime minister leads the Government of Croatia and meets in Banski dvori, on St. Mark's Square in Zagreb.
The Constitution of Croatia prescribes that the Croatian Parliament supervises the Croatian Government, including the prime minister; the Croatian President ensures "regular functioning" of the government, such as appointing the prime minister. Since 2000, the prime minister has had a variety of constitutional powers expanded. The prime minister directs domestic policy, defence policy, and foreign policy; administers public services, and oversees the economic policy of Croatia. They propose the annual budget alongside similar legislation to parliament and appoint government ministers, some of which alongside the Croatian President. As head of government, the prime minister defers certain responsibilities to the head of state – the president. These include commanding the Croatian Armed Forces, jointly calling elections and referendums, as well as collaborating on defence and foreign policy.
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Name
The official name of the office, literally translated, is "President of the Government" (Predsjednik / Predsjednica Vlade), rather than a literal translation of "Prime Minister" (Prvi Ministar). In Croatian, the shorter term Premijer / Premijerka (Premier) is commonly used as well.
History
The development of the modern role of prime minister traces back to Croatia's first multi-party elections 1990, after constitutional amendments allowed for greater electoral representation. The nation was still a constituent republic of SFR Yugoslavia and established the position of the President of the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Croatia; a role initially was filled by Stjepan Mesić on 30 May 1990 (the 14th Executive Council). The newly-elected Croatian Parliament enacted numerous amendments to the constitution on 25 July 1990. It eliminated socialist references and adopted new national symbols, while the Government of the Republic of Croatia was formally instituted by Amendment LXXIII.
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, 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. 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.
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
Republic of Croatia (1991–present)
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.
Notes
Timeline
This is a graphical lifespan timeline of prime ministers of Croatia. They are listed in order of office.