Parliament of Croatia

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The parliament of Croatia is called Hrvatski Sabor in Croatian - the word sabor means an assembly, a gathering, a congress. According to the Constitution, it is a representative body of the people and is vested with the legislative power in the Republic of Croatia.

The Croatian Parliament has between 100 and 160 members, elected on the basis of direct universal and equal suffrage by secret ballot, for a term of 4 years. Members' mandate can be extended only during a war. Most representatives come from the Croatian counties, while there are also some minority and diaspora seats.

Currently there are 152 representatives, a president (sometimes translated as Speaker or Chairman) and a minimum of one deputy president (usually four or five). 140 members are from the counties, 8 from the minorities and 4 from abroad.

Contents

[edit] Powers of the Parliament

The Croatian Parliament (Sabor):

  • decides on the enactment and amendment of the Constitution
  • passes laws
  • adopts the state budget
  • decides on war and peace
  • passes documents which express the policy of the parliament
  • adopts the Strategy of national security and the Strategy of defense of the Republic of Croatia
  • realizes civil control over the armed forces and the security services of the Republic of Croatia
  • decides on alternations of the borders of the Republic of Croatia
  • calls referenda
  • carries out elections, appointments and reliefs of office, in conformity with the Constitution and law
  • supervises the work of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and other holders of public authority responsible to the Croatian Parliament, in conformity with the Constitution and law
  • grants amnesty for criminal offenses
  • conducts other affairs as specified by the Constitution

The Croatian Parliament (Sabor) makes decisions by majority votes provided that a majority of representatives are present at the session.

Laws which regulate the rights of national minorities, decision of crossing the borders or acting over the borders by the armed forces, altering the borders are passed by the Croatian Parliament by a two-thirds majority vote of all representatives.

Laws which elaborate the constitutionally defined human rights and fundamental freedoms, the electoral system, the organization, authority and operation of government bodies and the organization and authority of local and regional self-government are passed by the Croatian Parliament by a majority vote of all representatives.

Each representative of the Croatian Parliament, the parliamentary clubs of representatives and the working bodies of the Croatian Parliament, and the Government of the Republic of Croatia have the right to propose laws.

Members of the Croatian Parliament have the right to ask the Government of the Republic of Croatia and individual ministers questions.

At least one tenth of the representatives of the Croatian Parliament may submit an interpellation on the operation of the Government of the Republic of Croatia or some of its individual members.

The Croatian Parliament may form commissions of inquiry regarding any issue of public interest.

[edit] Historic background

The Croat nobles agreed to form two Croatian states after settling in the Illyrian territory in the 7th century AD, after the great migration of the Slavs. Their meeting and agreement over the issues important for the people is considered the foundation of Croatian parliament.

Croatian counts and dukes later established a country and elected a king among themselves in the 9th and 10th century, but the legend says that they always made decisions as a group.

After Croatia decided to elect Hungarian king as King of Croatia in 1102, these nobles formed a real parliament and their decisions had significant influence in the state politics. In fact, when the Kingdom of Hungary lost its leader after the Battle of Mohács in 1526 when king Louis II died, the Croats gathered at Parliament on Cetin and chose to join the Habsburgs instead of a new king with the Hungarians.

In 1712, the Croatian Parliament decided on the so-called Pragmatic Sanction, thus taking the side of Maria Theresa, supporting her to become a queen of the Habsburg monarchy (previously no woman was allowed to rule the country without a king, that is, a man).

In the light of the Revolutions of 1848, Sabor decided to renew some of the country autonomy by exerting its power to all of the old Croatian regions and having the same ban govern them. In 1868 they negotiated a bargain with the Hungarians that regulated the ties between the countries in the new environment of Austria-Hungary.

In 1918 the Parliament decided to split off Croatia from Austria-Hungary (as did all the other parts of the monarchy), and join the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs. However, the country's entry to the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes that ensued was never sanctioned by Sabor, which was decommissioned.

The post-WWII parliament developed from the council of anti-fascists (ZAVNOH) formed in 1943. It functioned as the Parliament of the Socialist Republic of Croatia (as a part of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia), until 1990 when Croatia regained full independence.

[edit] List of Presidents (Speakers) of the Parliament

Since Croatian independence which was proclaimed on June 25, 1991 and entered in force fully on December 8, 1991.

  1. Žarko Domljan (May 30, 1990 - September 7, 1992)
  2. Stjepan Mesić (September 7, 1992 - May 24, 1994)
  3. Nedjeljko Mihanović (May 24, 1994 - November 28, 1995)
  4. Vlatko Pavletić (November 28, 1995 - February 2, 2000)
  5. Zlatko Tomčić (February 2, 2000 - December 22, 2003)
  6. Vladimir Šeks (December 22, 2003-)

[edit] Elections for the Parliament

[edit] Last election

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 23 November 2003 Croatian Parliament (Hrvatski Sabor) election results
Parties and coalitions Votes % Seats
Croatian Democratic Union (Hrvatska demokratska zajednica) 840,692 33.9 66
Coalition: Social Democratic Party (Socijaldemokratska partija Hrvatske) 560,593 22.6 34
Istrian Democratic Assembly (Istarski demokratski sabor/Dieta democratica Istriana) 4
Party of Liberal Democrats (Libra - Stranka liberalnih demokrata) 3
Liberal Party (Liberalna stranka) 2
Coalition: Croatian People's Party (Hrvatska narodna stranka) 198,781 8.0 10
Alliance of Primorje - Gorski Kotar (Primorsko-goranski savez) 1
Slavonia-Baranja Croatian Party (Slavonsko-baranjska hrvatska stranka) -
Croatian Peasant Party (Hrvatska seljačka stranka) 177,359 7.2 10
Coalition: Croatian Party of Rights (Hrvatska stranka prava) 157,987 6.4 8
Zagorje Democratic Party (Zagorska demokratska stranka) -
Međimurje Party (Međimurska stranka) -
Coalition: Croatian Social Liberal Party (Hrvatska socijalno liberalna stranka) 100,335 4.0 2
Democratic Centre (Demokratski centar) 1
Croatian Pensioners' Party (Hrvatska stranka umirovljenika) 98,537 4.0 3
Independent Democratic Serbian Party (Samostalna demokratska srpska stranka) - - 3
Coalition: Croatian Democratic Peasants Party (Hrvatska demokratska seljačka stranka) 24,872 1.0 1
Croatian Democratic Centre (Hrvatski demokratski centar) -
Democratic Prigorje-Zagreb Party (Demokratska prigorsko-zagrebačka stranka) -
Democratic Union of Hungarians of Croatia (Demokratska zajednica Mađara Hrvatske) - - 1
German People's Union (Njemačka narodnosna zajednica) - - 1
Party of Democratic Action of Croatia (Stranka demokratske akcije Hrvatske) - - 1
Non-partisans 4
Total (turnout 61.7 %) 2,478,967   151
Invalid Votes 41,041
Votes Cast 2,520,008
Registered Voters 4,087,553
Source: Izbori.hr and IFES.
Main article: Croatian parliamentary election, 2003

[edit] Past elections

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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