Željka Antunović

Who is Željka Antunović?

Željka Antunović is a Croatian centre-left politician and the deputy president of the Social Democratic Party, the largest opposition party in Croatia.

Antunović was born in Virovitica, Croatia, then SFR Yugoslavia. She entered the political scene in 1990 when she joined the Social Democrats of Croatia, a centre-left party - formed after establishment of democracy across Yugoslavia - and originally a major rival of the SDP, who had in turn recently succeeded the League of Communists of Croatia. 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 with Antun Vujić, gradually rose through the ranks of SDP.

Antunović has served as a member of Croatian Parliament from 1995 to 1999, and from 2003 onwards. At the party conference in 2000, she was elected as a deputy president of SDP. Between 2000 and 2003, she served as a deputy Prime Minister in Ivica Račan's government; and from 2002 to 2003, she served as Minister of Defense.

On January 31, 2007, Ivica Račan announced that he was temporarily leaving politics due to health reasons. Antunović then took over the chairmanship of the Party; and on April 11, 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.