Legal System of Croatia

Croatia is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in southeastern europe, bordering the adriatic sea, between bosnia and herzegovina and slovenia. The country achieved independence on 25 june 1991 (from yugoslavia); notable earlier dates: ca. 925 (kingdom of croatia established), 1 december 1918 (kingdom of serbs, croats, and slovenes established, later became yugoslavia). The capital is Zagreb.

Government Overview

Government Type: parliamentary republic Chief of State: President Zoran MILANOVIC (since 18 February 2020) Head of Government: Prime Minister Andrej PLENKOVIC (since 19 October 2016) Cabinet: Council of Ministers named by the prime minister and approved by the Assembly Administrative Divisions: 20 counties (zupanije, singular - zupanija) and 1 city* (grad - singular) with special county status; Bjelovarsko-Bilogorska (Bjelovar-Bilogora), Brodsko-Posavska (Brod-Posavina), Dubrovacko-Neretvanska (Dubrovnik-Neretva), Istarska (Istria), Karlovacka (Karlovac), Koprivnicko-Krizevacka (Koprivnica-Krizevci), Krapinsko-Zagorska (Krapina-Zagorje), Licko-Senjska (Lika-Senj), Medimurska (Medimurje), Osjecko-Baranjska (Osijek-Baranja), Pozesko-Slavonska (Pozega-Slavonia), Primorsko-Goranska (Primorje-Gorski Kotar), Sibensko-Kninska (Sibenik-Knin), Sisacko-Moslavacka (Sisak-Moslavina), Splitsko-Dalmatinska (Split-Dalmatia), Varazdinska (Varazdin), Viroviticko-Podravska (Virovitica-Podravina), Vukovarsko-Srijemska (Vukovar-Syrmia), Zadarska (Zadar), Zagreb*, Zagrebacka (Zagreb county) National Holiday: Statehood Day (National Day), 30 May (1990) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Croatia is described as civil law system influenced by legal heritage of Austria-Hungary International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest adopted 22 December 1990 Amendment Process: proposed by at least one fifth of the Assembly membership, by the president of the republic, by the Government of Croatia, or through petition by at least 10% of the total electorate; proceedings to amend require majority vote by the Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly; passage by petition requires a majority vote in a referendum and promulgation by the Assembly

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court (consists of the court president and vice president, 25 civil department justices, and 16 criminal department justices) Judge Selection: president of Supreme Court nominated by the president of Croatia and elected by the Sabor for a 4-year term; other Supreme Court justices appointed by the National Judicial Council; all judges serve until age 70 Subordinate Courts: Administrative Court; county, municipal, and specialized courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of unicameral Note: note: of the 151 seats, 140 members come from 10 multi-seat constituencies, with 3 members in a constituency for Croatian diaspora; voters belonging to recognized minorities elect an additional 8 members from a nationwide constituency: the Serb minority elects 3 members, the Hungarian and Italian minorities elect 1 each, the Czech and Slovak minorities elect 1 jointly, and all other minorities elect 2

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Croatia Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

The lands that today comprise Croatia were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of World War I. In 1918, the Croats, Serbs, and Slovenes formed a kingdom known after 1929 as Yugoslavia. Following World War II, Yugoslavia became a federal independent communist state consisting of six socialist republics, including Croatia, under the strong hand of Josip Broz, aka TITO.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Croatia based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.