Vesna Pusić
Vesna Pusić | |
---|---|
President of the Croatian People's Party | |
Assumed office 23 March 2013 |
|
Preceded by | Radimir Čačić |
Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia | |
Assumed office 16 November 2012 |
|
Prime Minister | Zoran Milanović |
Preceded by | Radimir Čačić |
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs | |
Assumed office 23 December 2011 |
|
Prime Minister | Zoran Milanović |
Preceded by | Gordan Jandroković |
Personal details | |
Born | Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia) |
25 April 1953
Political party | Croatian People's Party |
Spouse(s) | Jurgis Oniunas |
Children | Diana |
Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
Vesna Pusić (pronounced [ʋɛ̂sna pǔːsitɕ]; born 25 March 1953) is a Croatian sociologist and politician who serves as a First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the centre-left Cabinet of Zoran Milanović. She is known as outspoken liberal and an advocate of European integration, gender equality and LGBT rights.
After becoming involved in politics in the early 1990s, Pusić served three consecutive terms as MP, having been elected to the Croatian Parliament in the 2000, 2003, and 2007 parliament elections. She also ran in the 2009–10 presidential election, coming in fifth out of twelve candidates. During her 2008–2011 parliament term she chaired the parliamentary committee for tracking the progress of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union. She also held the post of Vice-President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR).
Pusić is president of the Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats.
Contents
Early life
Vesna Pusić was born in Zagreb to jurist and university professor Eugen Pusić and Višnja Pusić, a professor of English language.[1]
Education
Pusić graduated from II. Gymnasium in 1971. She graduated with a degree in sociology and philosophy from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in 1976,[2] and obtained a doctorate in sociology in 1984 at the same faculty.[1][2]
Professional career
From 1975 to 1979 she was a member of the International Research Group (IDE) doing research on industrial democracy in Europe.
From 1976 to 1978 she was a researcher at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.[1]
Since 1978 she has been working at the Sociology Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and teaching courses in the Theory of Industrial Democracy and the Sociology of Politics. In 1978, Pusić was one of seven women who initiated the first feminist organization in SFR Yugoslavia Žena i društvo and was widely criticized by the authorities at the time.[1]
Pusić lectured at the University of Chicago, Cornell University, and American University in Washington, D.C., as well as the Wilson Center.[1]
Political career
Pusić was one of the 28 founding members of the Croatian People's Party in 1990, after participating in the Coalition of People's Accord. She left party politics in 1992, but rejoined the same party in 1997 and was later its President between 2000 and 2008, and again since 2013. She first entered the Parliament in the Croatian parliamentary election, 2000.
In 1992 Pusić was the co-founder and director of the Erasmus Guild, a nongovernmental, nonpartisan think-tank for the culture of democracy, and the publisher and editor of the journal Erasmus, focusing specifically on different issues of transition in Croatia, countries of former Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe.[1] Erasmus Guild ceased operations in 1998.
In 2005 and 2008,[3][4] she was made the head of the National Committee for EU negotiations, the body that oversees accession negotiations and is composed of members of parliament as well as representatives of the President, the academic community, employers, and union representatives.
In 2006 and 2008 she was elected vice-president of ELDR.[1]
In the Croatian presidential election, 2009–2010, Pusić was the HNS-LD candidate. She won 7.25% in the first round, placing fifth out of twelve candidates, and was thus eliminated from the second round.
After Kukuriku coalition won the 2011 Croatian parliamentary elections Pusić serves as a Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the centre-left Cabinet of Zoran Milanović
After Radimir Čačić was expelled from the Croatian People's Party (HNS-LD) on 23 March 2013 because of his attempts to destabilize the party, she took the party presidency.[5]
On September 3, 2015 Croatian Government decided to nominate Pusić as official Croatian candidate for 2016 UN Secretary-General selection.
Activism
Vesna Pusić is very popular in the Croatian LGBT community. In 2011, Zagreb Pride attenders awarded her with the "gay friendly person of the decade".[6] She has been regular attendant at Zagreb LGBT pride.[7]
Her brother Zoran is a civil rights and peace activist.
Private life
Mrs. Pusić is married to a Lithuanian-American entrepreneur Jurgis Oniunas with whom she has a daughter Diana who is a film director.[8]
Bibliography
- Democracies and Dictatorships, Durieux, Zagreb 1998
- The Leaders and the Managers, Novi Liber, Zagreb 1992
- Industrial Democracy and Civil Society, Sociološko društvo Hrvatske, Zagreb 1986.
- Industrial Democracy in Europe, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981 (co-author)
- European Industrial Relations, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981 (co-author)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.jutarnji.hr/vesna-pusic-o-iskljucenju-cacica-zeljeli-smo-zastititi-stranku-od-destabiliziranja--morali-smo-reagirati/1155395/
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.jutarnji.hr/utrka-za-mjesto-prve-dame-ili-gospodina-gospoda-hebrang-bjezi-od-kandidature--kao-i-njezin-suprug/305702/
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vesna Pusić. |
- Official website (Croatian)
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Party political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by | President of the Croatian People's Party 2000–2008 |
Succeeded by Radimir Čačić |
President of the Croatian People's Party 2013–present |
Incumbent | |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by | Minister of Foreign and European Affairs 2011–present |
Incumbent |
Preceded by | Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia 2012–present |
- Use dmy dates from September 2010
- Commons category link is defined as the pagename
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Articles with Croatian-language external links
- 1953 births
- Candidates for President of Croatia
- Croatian atheists
- Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats politicians
- Croatian women in politics
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni
- Foreign ministers of Croatia
- Living people
- People from Zagreb
- Representatives in the modern Croatian Parliament
- University of Zagreb faculty
- Female foreign ministers