Vesna Pusić

Vesna Pusić
President of the Croatian People's Party
In office April 2000 – 6 April 2008
Preceded by	Radimir Čačić
Succeeded by	Radimir Čačić
In office 23 March 2013 – 16 April 2016
Succeeded by	Ivan Vrdoljak
First Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia
In office 16 November 2012 – 22 January 2016
Prime Minister	Zoran Milanović
Preceded by	Radimir Čačić
Succeeded by	Tomislav Karamarko
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
In office 23 December 2011 – 22 January 2016
Prime Minister	Zoran Milanović
Preceded by	Gordan Jandroković
Succeeded by	Miro Kovač
Personal details
Born	25 April 1953 Zagreb, Yugoslavia (now Croatia)
Political party	Croatian People's Party
Spouse(s)	Jurgis Oniunas
Children	Diana
Alma mater	University of Zagreb
Website	Official website

Vesna Pusić (pronounced [ʋɛ̂sna pǔːsitɕ]; born 25 March 1953) is a Croatian sociologist and politician who serves as Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament since 3 February 2016, had previously served 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 honorary president of the Croatian People's Party – Liberal Democrats.

Early life and education

Vesna Pusić was born on 25 March 1953 in Zagreb to jurist and university professor Eugen Pusić and Višnja (née Anđelinović) Pusić, a professor of English language.^[1] She graduated from II Gymnasium in 1971, after which she enrolled in Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences from which she graduated with a degree in sociology and philosophy in 1976.^[2] In 1984, she obtained a doctorate in sociology at the same faculty.^[1][2]

Professional career

After graduation, Pusić worked from 1975 to 1979 as a member of the International Research Group doing research on industrial democracy in twelve European countries. 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 (Woman and society) and was widely criticized by the authorities at the time.^[1] From 1992 to 1994, she served as Head of the Department of Sociology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Since 2010 she is still formally affiliated with the University of Zagreb, but not teaching due to her active involvement in the politics.

Pusić lectured at the University of Chicago, Cornell University, American University, The New School, International Forum for Democratic Studies, Foreign Service Institute, Georgetown University, Wilson Center, and MIT Sloan School of Management.^[3]

Political career

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić in Zagreb in April 2013

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz and Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić in December 2013

Vesna Pusić was one of the 28 founding members of the liberal Croatian People's Party (HNS-LD) 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 Croatian Parliament in the 2000 parliamentary election, and has been reelected in 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015.

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,^[4][5] she was made Chairwoman 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 parliamentary elections, Pusić served as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the center-left Cabinet of Zoran Milanović. After Radimir Čačić was expelled from the Croatian People's Party on 23 March 2013 because of his attempts to destabilize the party, Pusić become party president once again.^[6]

On September 3, 2015 Croatian Government decided to nominate Pusić as official Croatian candidate for 2016 UN Secretary-General selection. Her nominations was officially submitted on 14 January 2016.

Pusić was reelected to the Parliament on 2015 parliamentary elections and serves as a Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament since 3 February 2016.

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".^[7] She has been regular attendant at Zagreb LGBT pride.^[8]

Her brother Zoran is a civil rights and peace activist, serving as President of the Civic Committee for Human Rights, and chairman of the Anti-Fascist League of the Republic of Croatia since March 21, 2015.^[9]

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.^[10] She speaks Croatian, English, and German fluently.

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. "Vesna Pusić - Biografija" (in Croatian). Croatian People's Party - Liberal Democrats. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
2. "Vesna Pusić - Zastupnici 6. saziva Hrvatskoga sabora" [Vesna Pusić - Representative in the 6th assembly of the Croatian Parliament] (in Croatian). Croatian Parliament. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
3. Vesna Pusić (2014-06-20). "cv | Vesna Pusić". Vesnapusic.com.hr. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
4. "A liberal heads the negotiations for the access of the Croatia into the EU". ELDR. 3 March 2008.
5. Eduard Šoštarić; Robert Bajruši (16 June 2008). "Plan to destroy HNS: Sanader to remove Vesna Pusic from the head of the Alliance for the European Union". Nacional. Archived from the original on 25 July 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
6. Autor: Zrinka Korljan (2014-01-16). "VESNA PUSIĆ O ISKLJUČENJU ČAČIĆA Željeli smo zaštititi stranku od destabiliziranja. Morali smo reagirati". Jutarnji.hr. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
7. Martina Čizmić (18 June 2011). "Homofob desetljeća Marijana Petir, Homofrend Vesna Pusić" [Marijana Petir - homophobe of the decade, Vesna Pusić - homo-friend] (in Croatian). Nacional. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
8. "Pusić zahvalna organizatorima Gay Pridea" (in Croatian). Javno.com. 26 June 2008.
9. Ma.B. (2015-03-21). "Osnovana Antifašistička liga - antifašisti izrazili zabrinutost zbog razvoja događaja u Hrvatskoj". Dnevnik.hr. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
10. Autor: Portal Jutarnji.hr (2009-08-09). "Utrka za mjesto prve dame ili gospodina gospođa Hebrang bježi od kandidature, kao i njezin suprug". Jutarnji.hr. Retrieved 2016-05-05.

External links

• Official website (Croatian)
• "Abandoning the War Mentality". interview with Vesna Pusic. Central Europe Review. 27 April 2000.