elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Districts-last held 13 April 1997 (next to be held
NA 2001); House of Representatives-last held 29 October 1995 (next to
be held NA 1999)
election results: House of Districts-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 - HDZ 45.23%,
HSS/IDS/HNS/HKDU/SBHS 18.26%, HSLS 11.55%, SDP 8.93%, HSP 5.01%; seats
by party-HDZ 75, HSLS 12, HSS 10, SDP 10, IDS 4, HSP 4, HNS 2, SNS 2,
HND 1, ASH 1, HKDU 1, SBHS 1, independents 4

Judicial branch: 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

Political parties and leaders: Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ
[Franjo TUDJMAN, president]; Croatian Democratic Independents or HND
[Stjepan MESIC, president]; Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS
[Drazen BUDISA, president]; Liberal Party or LP [Vlado GOTOVAC,
president]; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP [Ivica RACAN];
Croatian Party of Rights or HSP [Anto DJAPIC]; Croatian Party of
Rights 1861 or HSP 1861 [Dobrislav PARAGA]; Croatian Peasants' Party
or HSS [Zlatko TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS [Radimir CACIC,
president]; Serbian National Party or SNS [Milan DJUKIC]; Action of
the Social Democrats of Croatia or ASH [Silvije DEGEN]; Croatian
Christian Democratic Union or HKDU [Marko VESELICA, president];
Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS [Ivan JAKOVCIC]; Slanvonsko-Baranja
Croatian Party or SBHS [Damir JURIC]; Primorje Gorski Kotar Alliance;
Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS [Vojislav STANIMIROVIC];
Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Semso TANKOVIC]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Miomir ZUZUL
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