Stjepan Mesić (born December 24, 1934) has been the President of the Republic of Croatia since 2000. February 18 is the 49th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... . Franjo Tuđman (May 14, 1922 - December 10, 1999) was the first president of Croatia in the 1990s. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ... Marriage is a relationship that plays a key role in the definition of many families. ... A profession is a specialized work function within society, generally performed by a professional. ... A lawyer or attorney at law is a person licensed by the state to advise clients in legal matters and represent them in courts of law (and in other forms of dispute resolution). ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ... The Croatian Peoples Party _ Liberal Democrats (Croatian Hrvatska narodna stranka _ Liberalni Demokrati; HNS) a liberal party in Croatia. ... December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1934 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The President of Croatia is the head of state. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Mesić was a deputy in the Croatian Parliament in 1960s, and then absent from politics until 1990 when he became a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and later the Prime Minister of Croatia. He was elected Croatian member of the Yugoslav Federal Presidency where he served first as Vice President and then in 1991 as the last President of the Yugoslav Federal Presidency. After that from 1992 he served as the President of the Croatian Parliament. The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Croatian Democratic Union ( Croatian: Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica, HDZ), is a Croatian political party. ... List of prime ministers/premiers in the Croatian Government Prime Minister is officially called President of the Government (Croatian: Predsjednik Vlade). ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in all south Slavic languages) is a term used for three separate but successive political entities that existed during most of the 20th century on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. ...

In 1994, he left HDZ with his several colleagues to form a new party - Croatian Independent Democrats (HND). In 1997 the majority of HND members, including Mesić, merged into the Croatian People's Party (HNS). 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... The Croatian Peoples Party _ Liberal Democrats (Croatian Hrvatska narodna stranka _ Liberalni Demokrati; HNS) a liberal party in Croatia. ...

After Franjo Tuđman died in December 1999, he was elected in two rounds the President of the Republic of Croatia in February 2000. He was re-elected in January 2005 for a second term. . Franjo Tuđman (May 14, 1922 - December 10, 1999) was the first president of Croatia in the 1990s. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The President of Croatia is the head of state. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Early years

Stjepan Mesić, commonly shortened to Stipe Mesić, was born in Orahovica, Slavonia. He graduated from the gymnasium in Požega and from the Law Faculty of the University of Zagreb. Slavonia is a region in eastern Croatia. ... A gymnasium is a type of school of secondary education in parts of Europe. ... Požega (Hungarian Pozsega) is a town in Croatia; elevation 152 m with population of 28,948 in 2001. ... Universitys emblem The University of Zagreb (Croatian Sveučilište u Zagrebu) is the oldest Croatian university in continuous operation and also the oldest university in southeastern Europe. ...

After becoming a lawyer, he worked in Orahovica and Našice. He finished compulsory military service and then became a municipal judge after passing judicial exams. Našice is a town in the Osijek-Baranja county of Croatia, population 17,320 (2001). ...

Mesić got married to Milka (nee Dudunić) and they had two daughters.

He moved to Zagreb to work as a manager in the company "Univerzal". The managerial position (he was Director of General Affairs) implied that he was aligned with the Communist Party of Yugoslavia. Zagreb (pronounced ZAH-greb) is the capital city of Croatia. ... The Communist Party of Yugoslavia (after 1952 the League of Communists of Yugoslavia) was the ruling party of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1945 until the 1991. ...

In 1966, he ran as an independent candidate in the election for his municipal council, and defeated two other candidates, one from the Communist Party and the other from the Socialist Union of Working People. In 1967, he became the mayor of Orahovica and a member of the Croatian Parliament.-1... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. ...

As mayor, Mesić initiated the building of a private factory in the town, the first private factory in Yugoslavia. However, this was stopped by Tito as an attempt to silently introduce capitalism, which was illegal according to the then-current constitution. The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a Balkan state that existed from 1945 to 1992. ... Josip Broz Tito (May 7, 1892 - May 4, 1980) was the ruler of Yugoslavia between the end of World War II and his death in 1980. ... Capitalism has been defined in various ways (see definitions of capitalism). ...

In 1967, when a group of Croatian intellectuals published the now-famous "Declaration" about the Croatian language, Mesić publically denounced it as a diversionary attack against the very foundations of Yugoslavia and called for its authors to be prosecuted by law. However, in the 1970s, Mesić proceeded to support the Croatian Spring movement which called for Croatian equality within the Yugoslav Federation on economic, political and cultural level. The government indicted him for "acts of enemy propaganda". The initial process lasted 3 days in which 55 witnesses testified, only five against him, but he was sentenced to one year and two months in jail. He appealed and the trials prolongued, but eventually in 1975 he was incarcerated for one year, and served his sentence at the Stara Gradiška prison. The Croatian language is a language of the western group of South Slavic languages which is used primarily by the Croats. ... The Croatian Spring (Hrvatsko proljeće) was a political movement from the early 1970s that called for greater rights for Croatia which was then part of Yugoslavia. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

Mesić in the 1990s

He was elected again in 1990 as a candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in the first multi-party elections in Croatia after World War II. He became the general secretary of HDZ and later the Prime Minister of Croatia and served from May until August 1990. He then resigned to eventually be elected to the Yugoslav Federal Presidency where he served first as Vice-President. 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Croatian Democratic Union ( Croatian: Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica, HDZ), is a Croatian political party. ... The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... List of prime ministers/premiers in the Croatian Government Prime Minister is officially called President of the Government (Croatian: Predsjednik Vlade). ...

Presidents rotated annually according to republic-province key automatically. When Mesić's turn came to automatically become the President, the Serbian Presidency Member Borisav Jović demanded voting in the Presidency. Four members (Serbia, Montenegro, Vojvodina, Kosovo) were against him and four members (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia) were in favor. That was considered as unconstitutional since every year Presidents rotated. Then, European Community mediators convinced Jović to admit Mesić as the President. The European Community (EC), most important of three European Communities, was originally founded on March 25, 1957 by the signing of the Treaty of Rome under the name of European Economic Community. ...

When Croatia declared its complete independence, he returned to Croatia and resigned from the Presidency since it was evident that SFR Yugoslavia did not exist anymore as far as the Croatians were concerned. In 1992, he was elected to Parliament and became the President of the Parliament. The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ... The Republic of Croatia is a crescent-shaped country in Europe bordering the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1994, Mesić left the HDZ to form a new party, the Croatian Independent Democrats (Hrvatski Nezavisni Demokrati, HND). He opposed the government policy toward Bosnia and Herzegovina, accusing Franjo Tuđman of agreeing to carve Bosnia and Herzegovina with Slobodan Milošević. He also criticized privatization during war and unresolved privatization criminality as war profiteering. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The Croatian Democratic Union ( Croatian: Hrvatska Demokratska Zajednica, HDZ), is a Croatian political party. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... . Franjo Tuđman (May 14, 1922 - December 10, 1999) was the first president of Croatia in the 1990s. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ... . Slobodan Milošević Slobodan Milošević  listen (Serbian Cyrillic: Слободан Милошевић, pronounced ; born 20 August 1941) is a former President of Serbia and of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as well as leader of the Socialist Party of Serbia. ...

In 1997, he and the majority of his party merged into the Croatian People's Party (HNS), where Mesić became an executive vice-president. 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... The Croatian Peoples Party _ Liberal Democrats (Croatian Hrvatska narodna stranka _ Liberalni Demokrati; HNS) a liberal party in Croatia. ...

Presidency of Croatia

He was elected President of the Republic of Croatia in the 2000 election after winning the first round and defeating Dražen Budiša of HSLS in the second round. Mesić ran as the joint candidate of the HNS, HSS, LS and IDS. After becoming president, he stepped down from membership in the HNS. The President of Croatia is the head of state. ... Third Presidential elections under new 1990 Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, held 2000 by popular vote. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Croatian political parties ... The Croatian Peoples Party _ Liberal Democrats (Croatian Hrvatska narodna stranka _ Liberalni Demokrati; HNS) a liberal party in Croatia. ... The Croatian Peasant Party (Croatian: Hrvatska seljačka stranka, HSS) was formed in 1905 by Stjepan Radić, a leading Croatian politician. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Croatian political parties ... The Istrian Democratic Assembly (Croatian: Istarski Demokratski Sabor, Italian: Dieta Democratica Istriana) is a Croatian regional political party in Istria. ...

He heavily criticized former President Franjo Tuđman's policies as nationalistic and authoritarian, lacking a free media and employing bad economics, while Mesić favored a more liberal approach to opening the Croatian economy to foreign investment. . Franjo Tuđman (May 14, 1922 - December 10, 1999) was the first president of Croatia in the 1990s. ...

As President, in September 2000 he retired seven Croatian active generals who had written two open letters to the public arguing that the current Government administration "is campaigning to criminalize Homeland War and that the Government is accusing and neglecting the Croatian Army". Mesić held that active duty officers could not write public political letters without approval of their Commander-in-Chief. Opposition parties condemned the President's decision as being a dangerous decision that could harm Croatian national security. Mesić later retired four more generals for similar reasons. Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ...

President Mesić is active in foreign policy, promoting Croatia's ambition to become a member of the European Union and NATO. He also initiated mutual apologies for possible war crimes with the President of Serbia and Montenegro. After Constitutional amendments in September 2000, he was deprived of most of his roles in domestic policy-making, which instead passed wholly to the Croatian Government and its Premier. The European Union or EU is an intergovernmental organisation of European countries, which currently has 25 member states. ... The flag of NATO NATO 2002 Summit The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), sometimes called North Atlantic Alliance, Atlantic Alliance or the Western Alliance, is an international organisation for defence collaboration established in 1949, in support of the North Atlantic Treaty signed in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 1949. ... Presidential seal The President of Serbia and Montenegro and the chairman of Council of Ministers of Serbia and Montenegro is elected at the proposal of the President and Vice President of the Parliament of Serbia and Montenegro for a four year term. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Government of the Republic of Croatia (Vlada Republike Hrvatske), commonly abbreviated to Croatian Government (hrvatska Vlada), is the main element of the executive branch of government in Croatia. ... List of prime ministers/premiers in the Croatian Government Prime Minister is officially called President of the Government (Croatian: Predsjednik Vlade). ...

Mesić made a testimony at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia that implicated Croatian army in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The right-wing parts of the Croatian public took issue with this, saying that his testimony contained untrue statements and questioned his motives (he was often branded "traitor"). The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia is a body of the United Nations established to prosecute war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. ... Bosnia and Herzegovina (officially Bosna i Hercegovina, shortened to BiH, also in English variously written Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Bosnia-Hercegovina) is a mountainous country in the western Balkans. ...

He was against the USA's military campaign against Iraq and Saddam Hussein's regime without United Nations approval and mandate. He improved Croatian foreign relations with Libya by exchanging visits with the Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafi, contrary to the wishes of British and EU diplomacy. The word Usa has more than one meaning: U.S.A. - The United States of America The United States Army Usa, Oita - A city in Japan The USA cable network USA Today national daily newspaper The University of Southern Alabama goes by the initials U.S.A. The patriotic cheer... The Republic of Iraq is a Middle Eastern country in southwestern Asia encompassing the ancient region of Mesopotamia at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. ... Saddam Hussein Saddām Hussein ʻAbd al-Majīd al-Tikrītī (Often spelled Husayn or Hussain; Arabic صدام حسين عبدالمجيد التكريتي; born April 28, 1937 1) was President of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... The Great Socialist Peoples Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Libya (Arabic: ليبيا) is a country in North Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, located between Egypt on the east, Sudan on the southeast, Chad and Niger on the south and Algeria and Tunisia to the west. ... Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi Muammar Abu Minyar al-Qaddafi 1 (Arabic: معمر القذافي Mu`ammar al-Qadhdhāfī) (born 1942), leader of Libya since 1970 and a controversial Arab statesman. ...

The first Mesić mandate was not marked with historically crucial events such as the Tuđman presidency, and the Croatian public shifted in political orientation (HDZ partly lost in popularity, mostly to leftist parties).

When the Government changed hands in late 2003, problems were expected between the leftist President and a Government with rightist members, but Mesić handled the situation gracefully and there were few notable problems in this regard. 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Events January January 1 - Luíz Inácio Lula Da Silva becomes the 37th President of Brazil. ...

He served his first 5-year term until February 2005. In the 2005 Presidential elections of Croatia, Mesić was a candidate supported by eight political parties and won almost one half of votes, but was denied the absolute majority by a few percent. Mesić faced off with Jadranka Kosor in the second round of the elections and won. He will serve his second 5-year term until 2010. 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The fourth presidential elections in Croatia took place in two rounds in January 2005. ... Jadranka Kosor (left) greeting supporter in Dubrovnik. ... 2010 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Stjepan Mesić - biography (http://www.predsjednik.hr/default.asp?ru=101&sid=&akcija=&jezik=2)