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Croatia

Croatia's official name is the Republic of Croatia. Its government is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic whose powers are separated into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Legislative

Legislative power falls with the Sabor, or Croatian Parliament, a body of representatives elected to four-year terms. The Sabor, led by a president and at least one vice president, must have between 100 and 160 representatives elected by popular vote; currently, there are 151 representatives. The duties of the Sabor include enacting and amending the constitution, passing laws, adopting the state budget, and deciding on war, peace, and strategies for national security, and supervising the actions of the Government of the Republic of Croatia in conformity with constitutional law.

Executive

Executive power lies with the President of the Republic of Croatia and the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The president's duties include representing the Republic of Croatia at home and abroad, ensuring the stability of state power, and defending the independence of the Republic of Croatia. The president is elected by popular vote to a five-year term and cannot serve more than two terms. The current president is Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who was elected in 2015.

The Government of the Republic of Croatia is responsible for exercising executive power in accordance with constitutional law. Its duties include proposing laws to the Croatian parliament, proposing the state budget, conducting foreign and internal politics, enabling economic growth, and expanding public services. The Government consists of the Prime Minister, appointed by the President of the Republic, and one or more Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers. All government appointments must be counter-signed by the Chairman of the Croatian Parliament. The current prime minister is Zoran Milanovic, who was elected in 2011.

Judicial

The three-tiered judicial system consists of a Supreme Court that rules on constitutional matters, county courts, and municipal courts.

Ministries

There are sixteen ministries within the Government of Croatia. A full list with contact information can be found on the official government website.

It's especially important for foreigners to be familiar with the Ministry of Interior, which deals with issues of security as well as the issuance of travel documents and visas.

Political Parties

Croatia has a multi-party system, with the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) and the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) as the two largest parties.

Zagreb

Zagreb, as the capital of Croatia, is also its administrative center. St. Mark's Square in Upper Town (Gornji Grad) is home to the Croatian Parliament and the Government of Croatia.

Zagreb City Hall is located in Lower Town (Donji Grad) at Trg Stjepana Radica 1. The City of Zagreb, as an administrative entity, operates at a local and regional level. The City Administration is comprised of the City Assembly as a representative body of elected officials and the Mayor as an executive body. The current major of Zagreb is Milan Bandic, elected in 2005.

The City Administration is further divided into 19 specialized administrative offices. A full list of city offices and their contacts is available on the official website of the city of Zagreb.