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Željka Antunović | |
|---|---|
 Antunović in May 2011 | |
| Leader of the Opposition Acting | |
| In office 11 April 2007 – 2 June 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Ivo Sanader |
| Preceded by | Ivica Račan |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Milanović |
| President of the Social Democratic Party Acting | |
| In office 11 April 2007 – 2 June 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Ivica Račan |
| Succeeded by | Zoran Milanović |
| Minister of Defence | |
| In office 30 July 2002 – 23 December 2003 | |
| Prime Minister | Ivica Račan |
| Preceded by | Jozo Radoš |
| Succeeded by | Berislav Rončević |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1955-09-15)15 September 1955 (age 70) |
| Party | SDH(1990–1994) SDP(1994–2013) |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
Željka Antunović (pronounced[ʒɛ̂ːʎkaantǔːnɔʋit͡ɕ]; born 15 September 1955[1]) is a Croatian formerpolitician who served as acting president of theSocial Democratic Party between April and June 2007, and asMinister of Defence from 2002 until 2003 in thesecond cabinet ofIvica Račan. She was thefirst and to date only female holder of the office.
Born inVirovitica, Antunović entered the political scene in 1990 when she joined theSocial Democrats of Croatia (SDH), a centre-left party formed after the establishment of democracy across Yugoslavia – and originally a major rival of theSocial Democratic Party (SDP), who had in turn recently succeeded theLeague of Communists of Croatia (SKH). However, following disastrous results of the SDH in parliamentary elections, the party accepted the SDP's offer of unification, which occurred in 1994. Antunović, together withAntun Vujić, gradually rose through the ranks of the SDP.
Antunović had served as a member of theCroatian Parliament from 1995 to 1999, and from 2003 onwards. At the party conference in 2000, she was elected as the deputy president of the SDP. Between 2000 and 2003, she served asDeputy Prime Minister of Croatia and was named the first woman to hold the portfolio ofDefence in thesecond cabinet of Ivica Račan, serving from 2002 until the end of the cabinet's term in 2003.
On 31 January 2007, Račan announced that he was temporarily leaving politics for health reasons. Antunović then took over the chairmanship of the party; and, on 11 April, following further deterioration in Račan's health, he resigned as leader of the party, leaving Antunović as head of the SDP until the next party convention. She ran for president at the party convention on 2 June 2007, together withMilan Bandić,Zoran Milanović andTonino Picula. She was defeated by Milanović in the second round of voting.
After her retirement from politics, she started a consulting company.[2] She took part inIvo Josipović's campaign for the2014–15 Croatian presidential election.[3]
