Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović

president of Croatia

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July 21, 2026

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Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović served as the first female president of Croatia, narrowly winning the election in January 2015. Her victory signaled dissatisfaction with the pace of economic recovery under the previous center-left government. She was preceded by Ivo Josipović and succeeded by Zoran Milanović in 2020. Croatia's political landscape has been dominated by two major parties, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), since its independence. Grabar-Kitarović's presidency coincided with the European migrant crisis and parliamentary elections that resulted in a complex coalition government.123

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Croatia
Independent Croatia
Opposition candidate Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović narrowly topped incumbent Josipović in balloting in January 2015, becoming Croatia’s first woman president. The election was seen as a referendum on Milanović’s centre-left government, and the defeat of Josipović, who had enjoyed widespread popularity throughout much of his term, signaled dissatisfaction with…
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Opposition candidate Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović narrowly topped incumbent Josipović in balloting in January 2015, becoming Croatia’s first woman president. The election was seen as a referendum on Milanović’s centre-left government, and the defeat of Josipović, who had enjoyed widespread popularity throughout much of his term, signaled dissatisfaction with…
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