29 Facts About Jadranka Kosor

Jadranka Kosor started working as a journalist, following her graduation from the Zagreb Faculty of Law.

Jadranka Kosor joined the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union in 1989 and quickly climbed up the party hierarchy.

Three years later, her party won the parliamentary election and Jadranka Kosor became the Minister of Family, Veterans' Affairs and Inter-generational Solidarity in the Sanader's first and, later, Sanader's second cabinet, during which time she served as deputy prime minister as well.

Jadranka Kosor was the party's candidate for prime minister in the 2011 general election, but HDZ lost in a landslide over the centre-left Kukuriku coalition, led by the Social Democratic Party.

Jadranka Kosor handed power to the new prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, in December 2011.

Jadranka Kosor was born in Lipik to Zorica Belan and Mirko Kosor.

Jadranka Kosor's parents divorced when she was two, and she spent her childhood living with her grandmother.

Jadranka Kosor contested a beauty pageant and was selected runner up for Miss Swimming Pool of Lipik.

Jadranka Kosor studied in Zagreb, where she graduated in law and began working as a journalist from 1972 as a correspondent for Vecernji list and Radio Zagreb.

Jadranka Kosor worked briefly as a correspondent for the BBC during this time.

In 1995, Jadranka Kosor became a representative in the Croatian Parliament as a member of the Croatian Democratic Union.

Jadranka Kosor is credited with the number of female candidates from the HDZ in the 2000 elections doubling.

Jadranka Kosor was the vice-president of the HDZ party between 1995 and 1997, and from 2002 up to 2009 when she became the president of the party.

Jadranka Kosor then faced off Stipe Mesic in the second round, but lost.

The Opposition accused the government, especially the prime minister, for political responsibility, claiming that it was impossible that Jadranka Kosor didn't know what was happening around her when she was a vice president of the government almost seven years before becoming prime minister.

Jadranka Kosor accused Kosor and the members of the HDZ Presidency of failed leadership citing Andrija Hebrang's poor result in the first round of the presidential election held just a week earlier.

Jadranka Kosor's statement was criticized by Serbian president Boris Tadic, leader of the Independent Democratic Serb Party Milorad Pupovac, Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Uzelac, as well as by leaders of the opposition Social Democratic Party and Croatian People's Party.

Jadranka Kosor signed an agreement with Borut Pahor, the prime minister of Slovenia, in November 2009, that ended Slovenia's blockade of Croatia's EU accession and allowed Croatian EU entry negotiations to proceed.

On 23 December 2011, Jadranka Kosor was elected Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament and was chairwoman of the HDZ's Deputy Club and leader of the opposition.

Jadranka Kosor contested 2012 HDZ leadership election and came in third out of five candidates.

Jadranka Kosor continued as an independent, considerably more liberal, politician and eventually formed a deputy club with two Croatian Civic Party MPs.

Jadranka Kosor voted in favour of presenting the issue of the 2013 referendum on banning same-sex marriage before the Constitutional Court, and against the proposed Constitutional change which represented a change from her previous position on homosexuality and same-sex marriage since she had been known for being against the expansion of LGBT rights.

Jadranka Kosor voted for the Life Partnership Act which gave same-sex couples in Croatia rights equal to heterosexual married couples.

Jadranka Kosor continued to criticize Tomislav Karamarko and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic as well as Bridge of Independent Lists party for their indecisiveness.

Jadranka Kosor is very active on Twitter where she writes on daily events and statements by politicians.

Jadranka Kosor maintains a personal blog - "Day After Yesterday - On Obverses and Reverses of Politics".

Jadranka Kosor was married twice; between 1971 and 1981 to Hrvoje Markul, an editor of the HTV Entertainment Program, and between 1984 and 1993 to Ivo Skopljanac, the radio host.

Jadranka Kosor has published five books - two of poetry, two related to the Croatian War of Independence and one containing her comments on Croatian politics.

Jadranka Kosor received The Golden Pen Award of the Croatian Journalists' Association, European Union's Humanitarian Award, European Circle Award of the Croatian European House and HRT's Lifetime Achievement Award "Ivan Sibl".