Ivo Sanader

Ivo Sanader (born June 8, 1953 in Split, Croatia) is the current Prime Minister of Croatia (President of the Government).

He was named Prime Minister designate on December 9, 2003 by the President of the Republic and was formally appointed on December 23, 2003 when Croatian Parliament gave its consent by 88 votes (out of 152). He has taken the position after his party, the Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ, became the single largest party after Parliamentary elections. His predecessor as Prime Minister was Ivica Račan.

Sanader's political career took an unexpected bump after he suprisingly took charge in HDZ in 2000, following the death of Franjo Tuđman and parliamentary election fiasco. Previously he held a low-key role as Foreign Minister Mate Granić's deputy.

Sanader has a PhD in Romance languages and comparative literature from Innsbruck University in Austria. He is fluent in four foreign languages: English, French, German and Italian. He is married with two children.