Ivo Sanader

Infobox_Prime Minister
name = Ivo Sanader

---

office = Prime Minister of Croatia
order = 8th
president = Stjepan Mesić
deputy =
term_start = 23 December 2003
term_end =
predecessor = Ivica Račan
successor =
birth_date = birth date and age|1953|06|08|df=y
birth_place = Split, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
death_date =
death_place =
spouse = Mirjana Sanader
party = Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)
children = Bruna Sanader, Petra Sanader
alma_mater = University of Innsbruck
occupation =
religion = Roman Catholic

Ivo Sanader [IPA|ˈiːʋɔ saˈnaːdɛr] (formerly Ivica Sanader [ [http://www.javno.com/en/croatia/clanak.php?id=22031 Prime Minister Earned His Doctoral Degree as Ivica] ] ) (born June 8, 1953 in Split) is the current Prime Minister of Croatia (President of the Government).

Early life, education and family life

Ivo Sanader was born on June 8, 1953 in Split. He was raised in a devout Catholic family with three brothers and one sister. The Sanader family couldn't afford high school study for all of their children, so Ivo's mother asked rector of a Catholic high school to accept him into his school. After completing his high school education he left for Rome to acquire a higher education in philosophy, but he soon realized that he didn't like the academic environment there very much. After his return from Rome he met his future spouse, Mirjana, who he married in 1978. After their wedding, Ivo and Mirjana left Split for Innsbruck. His wife attended a study of archaeology, while Ivo attended a study of comparative literature and studies of Romance languages at the University of Innsbruck. The young couple was accompanied, while studying in Innsbruck, by Ivo’s younger brother Miro who also lived and studied in Innsbruck. During that time Sanader also reported for the Zagreb sport newspaper "Sportske novosti". In 1982, Sanader graduated, and returned to Croatia with his wife. He found a job in the marketing department of Dalmacijaturist, however he didn’t stay very long. He found his next job at the publishing house Logos in 1983 where he was employed on as a program editor. In 1988 he became a chief editor and at time he was working on the organization of the magazine "Mogućnost". His career at the publishing house was later terminated suddenly. At that time his wife also received a notice of termination from her workplace. After that Ivo Sanader decided to move back to Austria with his family. In Austria he founded two private business. One favorable thing for him was that he never lost touch with his homeland while in Austria. Sanader achieved a PhD in Romance languages and comparative literature from Innsbruck University in Austria. Besides his native language of Croatian he is fluent in English, German, French and Italian. He is the father of two children. [http://www.moljac.hr/biografije/sanader.htmhr icon] [http://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak.aspx?id=177669hr icon]

Early political career

At the end of 1980s he founded the first branch of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) in Austria and at this time he first came into contact with Franjo Tuđman. He returns to Split, on persuasion from Franjo Tuđman, although his wife was against their return to Croatia, at the morning of war for Croatia independence. His first public office was manager of Croatian National Theatre in Split. In 1992 he was elected as an HDZ deputy to the lower house of the Croatian parliament. Shortly thereafter he became Minister of Science and Technology (1992-1993). From 1993 to 1995 and 1996 to 2000 he was a Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs. His biggest success as Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs was the termination of required visas for Croatia citizens who traveled to Greece. But Sanader's sense for negotiation was also used for other purposes. He used his negotiation skills for bringing people around to the Croatian Democratic Union from other Croatian parliament parties. At the end of November 1995 he became a head of the President of Croatia's office and general secretary of Croatia national security and defense council (VONS) after Hrvoje Šarinić was released from his duty. In January of 1996 he became a member of the council for cooperation between Croatia and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During his second term as a Deputy Minster for Foreign Affairs he worked hard to bring Croatia and Israel together. The peak of these efforts was the meeting between himself, Hrvoje Šarinić and Eytan Bentsur, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Israeli government, in Budapest in 1997, after which diplomatic relationships between Croatia and Israel were established. [ [http://www.vlada.hr/english/premijer/predsjednik_vlade_ivo_sanader Prime Minister Ivo Sanader / Croatian prime minister - Ivo Sanader - official web ] ]

Political career

In 2000, following Tuđman's death, HDZ suffered defeat in a parliamentary election. Furthermore, their candidate Mate Granić also failed to enter the second round of the presidential election. Granić then left to form the Democratic Centre party hoping to attract moderates from the HDZ. Inner-party election within the HDZ ensued in April that year and Sanader emerged victorious as a compromise candidate.

Initially Sanader criticized the ICTY indictments against Croatian Army generals which had provoked much discontent in Croatia. In 2001 he took part in a massive rally against a war crimes indictment against general Mirko Norac. Sanader also criticised Ivica Račan and his cabinet's stance towards the ICTY. Afterwards, he gradually began to distance the party and himself from the protests somewhat softening his criticism towards the government.

Sanader focused his efforts on transforming the HDZ into a modern pro-European right-of-center party. However, his course was challenged by the right-wing of the party led by Ivić Pašalić. The ensuing leadership struggle culminated at the 2002 party convention. Sanader, who was supported by Vladimir Šeks and Branimir Glavaš, managed to win his second mandate. Pašalić left the party to form his Croatian Bloc, but failed to draw many of his former supporters from the HDZ.

Sanader was now able to concentrate on defeating Ivica Račan and his left-of-centre coalition at the 2003 parliamentary elections. HDZ, nevertheless, failed to win the absolute majority in Sabor. After the victory of his Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) the President of the Republic named Sanader the Prime Minister-designate on December 9, 2003. In the post-election negotiations Sanader ensured the support of ethnic minority representatives, nominally left-wing Croatian Party of Pensioners and the Independent Democratic Serbian Party. When the Croatian Parliament subsequently gave its consent by 88 votes (out of 152) on December 23, 2003, Sanader was formally appointed.

Leader of the Croatian Democratic Union

On the 5th convention of Croatian Democratic Union in 2000 he was chosen as a president of the party. At that same assembly he said that: "in Croatia there wouldn’t be enough jails if previous government had behave like coalition, that is in power, is behaving now."Fact|date=November 2007 As a head of the Croatian Democratic Union he worked hard in transforming the party into a democratic European party.Fact|date=December 2007

Prime minister

Sanader's government main foreign goal is Croatia's entry into the European Union and NATO. As a result of the successful implementation of the Association Agreement - signed with the European Union in 2001 - Croatia has become an official candidate for the entry into the EU. Sanader's HDZ has also sought to establish better relations with minority parties and has continued to promote minority rights. Amongst other factors contributing to the positive opinion of the European Commission and the European Council regarding Croatia's bid to become an EU member were Croatia's cooperation with the ICTY, continued economic growth and country's compliance with the political and economic criteria established by the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. Croatia is expected to complete negotiations with the EU in 2009, or about halfway through Sanader´s current term. Sanader has close relations with other moderate conservative politicians in Europe, including former Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, former Bavarian Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and Irish prime minister Bertie Ahern.

Since the inception of his term Croatia has experienced an economic growth between 4 and 6 per cent annually every year as well as improvements in the judicial system and land registry. However, the cabinet has also seen some changes, notably the departure of the foreign minister Miomir Žužul who was accused for conflict of interest. Furthermore, Sanader's government was challenged by the rising tide of Euroscepticism in the country.

In October 2005, following the formal start of EU accession negotiations, opinion surveys showed Sanader to be the most popular Croatian politician.

Controversies

The biggest affair that has hindered Sanader as Prime Minster was a mostly tabloid-fueled affair regarding his collection of wrist watches. He reportedly possesses a collection of wrist watches worth in excess of €150,000. Former Minster of Justice Vesna Škare Ožbolt in the Sanader government was the one who reported Sanader to a resolution council for conflict of interests. Škare Ožbolt stated that Prime Minster Sanader hadn’t reported a collection of expensive wrist watches in his assets.

Sanader was also accused by Ivan Drmić, former member of Croatian Democratic Union, for framing the presidential election at the 5th convention of the Croatian Democratic Union. Spokesman for the Croatian Democratic Union Vlatko Maček said such accusationd "belong in the anthology of political dullness."

In July 2006 Sanader was named in the “Verona Affair,” accused by the opposition in the Croatian parliament for fixing the sale of pharmaceutical company Pliva to Barr Corporation from the US. Such accusations against Sanader have been declined, and they were never proven.

Relations with US

The government of Croatia, under Prime Minster Sanader, has improved its relations with the US, which were strained under former Prime Minister Račan due to Račan's refusal to accept an American pact calling for US soldiers to not face extradition to the International Court of Justice if indicted. During Sanader's regime, the US has not demanded such an agreement to be signed by Croatia.

The chairman of the US House International Relations Committee Henry Hyde has said, in a very emotional appearance, that Croatia's desire to join NATO and the EU will be reached, and that the US government backs Croatia fully in its goal regarding NATO and EU membership. In October 2006, President Bush has said that Croatia will enter NATO and he has set 2008 as the year for Croatian membership in the bloc. US recognize Croatia as the only stable partner on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia, and an ally in the war on terror. [http://www.vjesnik.hr/html/2004/03/15/Clanak.asp?r=van&c=6hr icon] [ [http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/rm/74038.htm Relations Between Croatia and the United States ] ] [ [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061017-5.html President Bush Welcomes Prime Minister Sanader of Croatia to the White House ] ]

Other

Sanader was the last statesman to visit Pope John Paul II in the Vatican, in February 2005, a few weeks before his death on April 2, 2005.

Notes

External links

Official websites

* [http://www.vlada.hr/en// The Office of the Prime Minister]
* [http://www.vlada.hr/english/premijer// Prime Minister]