Croatia Inaugurates First Woman President

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was inaugurated as President of Croatia, becoming the country's first woman president. Her career is notable for her positions as assistant to the NATO secretary-general and ambassador to the US.

Croatia inaugurated its first woman president, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, on Sunday, after her surprise victory over the incumbent candidate in January.

Grabar-Kitarovic was formerly Croatia's foreign minister, ambassador to the United States and assistant to NATO's secretary-general. She was nominated by the conservative opposition Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party and defeated incumbent candidate Ivo Josipovic, from the ruling center-left coalition, with 50.74 percent of votes

The presidential office in Croatia is largely seen as a ceremonial one. A president is elected for five years. Grabar-Kitarovic will be the first woman to lead the western Balkan country since its gained independence in 1991.