Croatia's first female president sworn in
On February 15, the first female President in Croatia's history, Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, was sworn in at a solemn ceremony at Saint Marc Square in the capital Zagreb.
The ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovakia and Slovenia, along with hundreds of senior Croatian officials.
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| Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic at the inauguration ceremony in Zagreb. (Source: AFP/VNA) |
In her inaugural speech, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic pledged to do her utmost to help the Balkan country become a wealthy one.
The politician vowed to "restart" the economy and expressed her hope that Croatia's living standards would soon catch up with other members of the European Union (EU).
Ms. Grabar-Kitarovic, 46 years old, belongs to the Democratic Community Party (HDZ). She won against incumbent President Ivo Josipovic in the second round of the presidential election on January 11.
She served as Croatia's Foreign Minister and was a staunch supporter of joining the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Croatia's economy has been hit hard by the global economic crisis over the past six years and is one of the weakest in the EU.
Unemployment in the country has reached nearly 20% and the Croatian government forecasts the country's economy will grow by only 0.5% this year.
According to the Croatian Constitution, the President holds the power to decide foreign policy and command the army, while running the state is in the hands of the government./.
According to VNA
