THERE HAS never been a generation better qualified than the present nor a time more opportune than now for the people to decide how to put Cyprus back together again.

This generation is better educated; more widely travelled than ever, with broader horizons and with the benefit of 21st Century information technology, and should be asked to participate directly from the outset in order to provide the prior consent that is crucial to uniting Cyprus in a bi-zonal federation of two constituent states.

There are also many good people of the older generation on both sides with the wisdom of hindsight who lived through the terrible events of 1963 and 1974 and experienced at close range the awfulness of war and displacement who have waited far too long and who would wish to have an opportunity to vote about the future of their country in the hope that they will leave behind a peaceful future for their children and grandchildren.

The region around Cyprus has become a dangerous place too and danger concentrates the mind of most people. It is an ill wind that is blowing across the sea, which makes it essential to unleash the common sense of the people to help sort out the Cyprus problem once and for all before it is too late.

The joint statement in Cyprus of 11 February 2014 reserves to the leaders the ultimate decision to agree the settlement first before it is put to the people in simultaneous referenda.

However in the 2004 referendum seventy five per cent of Greek Cypriots rejected the Annan Plan, and although they are not to be taken as having rejected a bi-zonal federation as such, the result of that referendum has to be shown respect if the same result is to be avoided.

The way to show respect is not to carry on regardless, but to hold a referendum and obtain prior consent first, this time round.

The truth is that a bi-zonal federation is still very controversial among Greek Cypriots because it arises from a state of affairs that was not freely chosen but was the result of the tragic events in the summer of 1974, and as such has to be promoted with sensitivity as well as pragmatism.

The Greek Cypriot people need to be persuaded and the persuading needs to be convincing. And the arguments are persuasive and convincing!

Advantages of direct democracy

The use of direct democracy in a referendum at the outset is not intended to replace representative democracy but to enhance it by relieving the political leadership of the responsibility for decision-making that is so profound and of such historical and national importance that no individual or institution in a modern democratic society should be expected to carry such a heavy burden within the constraints of their democratic mandate.

The Rationale behind a bi-zonal federation

The rationale behind the bi-zonal federation is that owing to events on the island from 1963 culminating in the 1974 war, Turkish Cypriots fled to the north of Cyprus en masse in fear for their lives and are now unwilling and in some cases unable to return to their former homes in the south of Cyprus.

As they are now concentrated in the north and not interspersed throughout the island, it is proposed that the previous constitutional arrangements are altered to enable them to govern themselves within a sovereign United Cyprus in political equality under a new federal constitution comprising two constituent states known as ‘North Cyprus’ and ‘South Cyprus’.

Political equality

Political equality has been much misunderstood by its proponents as well as its detractors. Political equality is what Cyprus has in the councils of the EU. In important decisions, for example, whether to admit a new member, Cyprus, a country of less than a million people, has equal voting power with Germany, a country of more than 80 million people.

In theory, Cyprus could for example veto the admission of say Ukraine even if all the other states wished to admit her.

The example shows that it all depends on the importance of the area of decision making involved but the underlying rationale is that in important areas of governance majoritarian domination is regarded as problematic and undemocratic.

Contrary to the received wisdom among Greek Cypriot politicians in the past, majoritarian domination is capable of being problematic and undemocratic in Cyprus too, hence the need for political equality in important areas of executive and legislative decision-making whereby both entities of the federation would have to agree a measure if its area of operation triggers the political equality provisions of the Constitution.

It is not difficult to imagine which areas would activate the trigger but that must be for the leaders to negotiate, with a further referendum if they fail to agree.

The property aspects

The property aspects of the problem have to be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights but it is important to note that the right to property is a qualified right that may be curtailed in the public interest if necessary and proportionate to a legitimate aim, provided the loser is properly compensated.

The property aspects shall be dealt with by compensation exchange or reinstatement. Some of this is already taking place privately in accordance with procedures put directed by the European Court of Human Rights.

The land to be returned under ‘South Cyprus’ control is a matter for negotiation for the leaders.

The federal civil service

The federal civil service poses its own set of problems. People who are not civil servants are concerned about the size and cost of a bloated civil service and the integrity, competence, and efficiency of state officials more than their ethnicity.

The aim must ultimately be to have a much smaller state apparatus but of such high quality that in years to come ethnicity would no longer matter.

In the initial stages of any solution however it would be impossible for the putative federal civil service to be up and functioning from nowhere.

To this end it is proposed that in the event of an affirmative response in this referendum there is set up, with the assistance of the EU, a Graduate School of Administration in the mould of the Ecole Nationale d’administration in France, to train and prepare the very high quality civil service that will be from both sides who will take over the levers of federal power once the federation is launched.

Preparing for a solution in practical terms is one of the best confidence-building measures imaginable which is the reason why an affirmative answer in this referendum is so important. To this end it is also proposed that soundings begin with the EU as soon as possible concerning setting up the said Graduate School.

Membership of the EU

Cyprus shall continue to be a member of the European Union. The Turkish Cypriots have already voted indirectly in favour by their affirmative vote in the 2004 referendum on the Annan plan, since the idea at the time was for Cyprus to be reunited so as to join the EU problem free.

The importance of this area of common ground is that it is very conducive to resolving the Cyprus problem because membership of the EU carries with it transfer of sovereignty to the EU which reduces areas of potential disagreement.
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Foreign policy and Turkish guarantees

Foreign policy is not normally controversial at home. If it were not for the Cyprus problem, the foreign policy of Cyprus would be like that of Malta, which is perhaps why some politicians in Cyprus indulge the Cyprus problem.
Turkish Cypriots place a lot of importance on Turkish guarantees.

They should consider a fresh look at how efficacious such guarantees are in international law because even if the treaty of guarantee remained in force Turkey would still only be able to intervene lawfully if it could invoke self defence under the UN Charter.

Troop withdrawals and resettlement of Turkish nationals back to Turkey should not in principle pose insuperable problems because as and when a solution is found the natural consequence must be that the Turkish troops would gradually be withdrawn because their presence would be redundant.

So far as the resettlement of Turkish nationals is concerned, EU and European Human Rights law would govern their position as well as what the two sides agree. Objections from Turkey or from Turkish Cypriots about these matters are much exaggerated.
This declaration aims to persuade all the people, but particularly the Greek Cypriots, to vote in favour of a bi-zonal federation as a pragmatic way to reunite the island. It is acknowledged at once that it is put forward for want of anything better but in democracies this is often the best reason. It is measured in tone, close to the facts, sensitive to feelings and true to itself. We recommend it to the people of Cyprus.

Alper Ali Riza is a Queen’s Counsel and one of HM part time judges in England

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Danuta Hübner, the head of the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee (AFCO), warned recently that English will no longer be one of the European Union’s official languages after Britain leaves the EU.

English is one of the EU’s 24 official languages because the U.K. identified it as its own official language, Hübner said. But as soon as Britain completes the process to leave the EU, English could lose its status.

“We have a regulation … where every EU country has the right to notify one official language,” Hübner said. “The Irish have notified Gaelic, and the Maltese have notified Maltese, so you have only the UK notifying English.”

“If we don’t have the U.K., we don’t have English,” Hübner said.

English is one of the working languages in the European institutions, Hübner said, adding: “It’s actually the dominating language,” the one most frequently used by EU civil servants.

The regulation listing official languages of the EU would have to be changed unanimously by remaining countries if they want to keep English as an official language, Hübner said.

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Near East University Faculty of Engineering was awarded with EUR-ACE accreditation certificate which is the European quality label for engineering degree programs

ENAEE, the top European network for accreditation of engineering education, has awarded Near East University Faculty of Engineering with EUR-ACE accreditation certificate….

Near East University Faculty of Engineering has been accredited and awarded with EUR-ACE label by ENAEE (European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education). Based in Brussels, ENAEE is the top European network that authorizes accreditation and quality assurance agencies to award the EUR-ACE label to accredited engineering degree programs of a higher education institution.

The programs offered by Near East University Faculty of Engineering were previously accredited by ASIIN e. V. (Accreditation Agency for Degree Programs in Engineering, Informatics, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics), which is an international accreditation agency that based in Germany.

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A breakthrough in the Cyprus negotiations is likely early new year 2016, despite concerns over property and security issues, a report by the international risk consultancy company Eurasia Group predicts.

Significant developments on the issue of territory are likely in the first three months of 2016. This will give added impetus to a reaching a workable agreement on unifying the island next year.

The Eurasia Group report says that the problem of abandoned properties, which remain since the displacement of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, must be solved.

The report suggests three potential solutions:

“There are three ways to resolve this issue: 

1. The previous owner will either be given back the property, 
2. Offered some compensation for its value 
3. Given the option to swap it with another piece of property on the other side of the island.”

However, the report also writes that this problem cannot be solved immediately because of the technicalities required to classify property and ownership and public sensitivity about the topic.

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The fund worth almost US$2 billion was announced at the end of a two-day summit of EU and African leaders in Malta. The resource will seek to aid in poverty alleviation programmes, slow down the influx of refugees and boost repatriation initiatives. This money will be in addition to the EU’s annual €20 billion collective donations to Africa.

This is not the first time that the EU has attempted to address the migrant flow problem.

“We are under no illusions that we can improve the situation overnight, but we are committed to giving people alternatives to risking their lives,” said European Council President Donald Tusk.

Malta, situated in the Mediterranean Sea 90 kilometres south of Sicily, has become one of the destinations for refugees fleeing the war in Syria. The island country’s leader, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, said that the establishment of the funds is an important step towards a long-term solution to the problem.

Despite the fact that Africa receives billions of dollars in humanitarian aid every year, a 2014 report showed that the continent loses more money than it actually receives.

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A delegation from the European Central Bank is due to arrive in North Cyprus next month to carry out work on transferring to the euro in the event of a settlement.

The head of the European Union harmonisation committee at the TRNC Assembly and Republican Turkish Party-United Forces (CTP-BG) deputy Armagan Candan, told BRT about the ongoing efforts to adopt the euro, if and when a solution to the Cyprus problem is found.

A team of experts from the European Central Bank will hold a series of meetings with officials from the Turkish Cypriot Central Bank, the bi-communal technical committee on economy, as well as the EU Ad-Hoc Committee. Candan said that the experts will look into how long it will take to switch to the euro.

“The team of experts will determine how long it will take the Turkish Cypriot constituent state to switch to the euro and for how long it will continue to use the Turkish Lira. This can be perceived as an important signal that a solution is close”, Candan added.

He also pointed out that both the EU and other international financial institutions which could make important contributions towards solving the Cyprus problem, needed to see a success story in the Eastern Mediterranean. “This story could be written in Cyprus” he said.

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Turkish NTV news channel reports that European Union (EU) experts will come to Cyprus to begin work on the process with Turkish Cypriot officials, at the same time, adjusting the TRNC customs union in order to harmonise with the standards of the EU.

President Mustafa Akinci told NTV correspondent Selim Sayri that during the Presidents’ meeting on Monday, they had agreed to form a technical committee to work on economic harmonisation. The committee is expected to begin its work at the end of October 2015.

Akinci said that by bringing experts over from the EU, the aim is to complete the Turkish Cypriots’ preparations for adopting the Euro as soon as possible. He noted that it will take one year to adopt the Euro in the event of a solution being agreed by a referendum, during which time the Turkish lira will remain in use.

“This is a process. Adopting the Euro and the customs union will constitute the first stage. Afterwards harmonisation with the EU on the health, environment and other issues will come onto the agenda”, he noted.

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The Chineke! Orchestra and Foundation is the brainchild of renowned British double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku MBE, who co-founded the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment and serves as Professor of Double Bass Historical Studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

It was Nwanoku who chose the ensemble’s name (pronounced CHI-neh-keh), which comes from the Igbo tribe in south-eastern Nigeria. Meaning ‘spirit of creation’, the word is frequently used as an exclamation of good tidings among Igbo people (‘Chineke! Amazing!), hence the exclamation mark in the title.

Nwanoku, the daughter of an Igbo father and an Irish mother, grew up in Kent in a town where hers was the only black family. ‘I’ve always felt as though I completely belong to the country and society in which I live,’ she says, ‘and I’ve never gone through my life feeling like I’m a token person of colour. I wasn’t brought up to be a statistic – I was brought up to be who I am, and being mixed race is not part of my agenda.

‘But it is clear to me that there are many reasons why people like me, people of colour, are not coming through, why they’re so very underrpresented in the arts in this country. And I know for a fact it’s not due to lack of talent.’

Chineke! is a conscious effort to redress the balance in classical music as far as race is concerned, both in the UK and across Europe. Nwanoku recruited the members of her new 60-piece ensemble (led by American violinist Tai Murray and conducted by black British conductor Wayne Marshall) by mining her impressive Rolodex of musician contacts for recommendations of professional musicians from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds.

'I want the Chineke! orchestra to be radical and to affect real systemic change'

‘But I’m not launching this orchestra to create jobs,’ says Nwanoku. ‘It’s more politically motivated. People of colour are used to being written out of history, and to having other people telling our stories for us: portraying us as poor black people being helped out by white people who take all the credit. That’s what we have to work our way out of. I want the Chineke! orchestra to be radical and to affect real systemic change by levelling the playing field. I want to change people’s perceptions by having an orchestra of BME musicians visibly playing at the very highest level.'

The public’s reaction to news of the orchestra’s launch has been mainly positive, according to Nwanoku – yet a ‘small minority’ of people have expressed misgivings, including some of the players who were asked to participate.

‘There are players who have decided not to play in this concert because they fear a backlash,’ Nwanoku says. ‘I’ve also had comments from white orchestral players who have asked whether selecting players based on their skin colour is racist. It’s important that people feel able to ask that question. But I ask them – when they see an all-white ensemble playing, do they ask the same question then? Of course, the answer’s no. It’s because we’ve been trained to expect an all-white ensemble. And I want to change those perceptions.

'Changing perceptions is so important'
‘Greater diversity is always going to make the arts stronger and broader, more "for everyone". We live in the world where people are constantly up against each other and there’s so much fear. Too often, people in this country look at a group of people of colour standing together and think: “That’s trouble”. Changing perceptions is so important. And what better way to do it than through music – wonderful music?’

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For more information about the Chineke! Orchestra and Foundation [including how to get involved], visit chineke.org. Learn more »

The UN Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations operation in Cyprus, covering developments from 16 December 2014 to 20 June 2015 has been released.

In his report, Mr Ban Ki-moon notes the positive momentum surrounding the resumption of the talks for a solution of the Cyprus problem,

"as well as the energy and dedication displayed by both sides. I welcome the commitment expressed by the leaders to work tirelessly to reach a comprehensive settlement of the question of Cyprus as soon as possible. I encourage both leaders to grasp the current unique opportunity to create a peaceful common future for the island”. 

He also welcomes the commitment by the leaders to seek early agreement on confidence-building measures and urged them to take "decisive and pragmatic steps towards tangibly implementing those measures in good faith and without delay”.

The UN Chief further said he intends to submit a detailed report on his good offices mission in the Fall of 2015.

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Since 1980 Greece has received EU funds under various programs to the tune of €200 Billion equivalent to 100 percent of its GDP in 2013.

For that year total net spending in Greece financed via the EU spending [Regional Fund, Social fund and similar funds] was just above 3 percent of GDP.

Greece’s traditional rival in the region and in the Balkans is Turkey; its EU membership was used to put obstacles in the way of the endeavors to move Turkey closer to the EU even dangling the prospect of full membership as a reward for reforms.

The second one is that Greece has for decades deliberately pursued an unsustainable economy with perennial overspending compared to revenue hidden by diligent efforts to cook the books helped by some private global financial institutions; this deception of its allies, partner, and creditors was unmasked by the financial crisis.

The third one is that the main problem is not about the debt level, but turning the Greek economy into a viable and sustainable economy able to function without constant blood transfusion.

Diagnosing the economy it is not difficult to understand why Greece has never managed to build a productive base for the economy.

The geopolitical situation in the Eastern Mediterranean has changed over the last one to two years and fundamentally so to the disadvantage of Greece.

In view of the above, maybe it is in the best interest of Greece to default, thereby paving way for a more sustainable future.

*Originally written by Inez McMullan for Top Tidings Learn more »

The European Parliament yesterday 10th June approved Turkey’s 2014 progress report in which it also calls on Ankara to withdraw its military troops from northern Cyprus, TRNC.

As well as to return the ‘ghost town’ of Famagusta to the UN so that Cyprus goes ahead with opening the port under EU customs supervision.

“Turkey must begin to withdraw its troops and transfer the Famagusta area to the UN, while the Republic of Cyprus should open the port of Famagusta under EU customs supervision,” the report said. And it added:  “Turkey should also refrain from further settlement of Turkish citizens in the Northern side of Cyprus.”

The Euro MPs also makes a note that Turkey has to respect Cyprus’ sovereign Exclusive Economic Zone. And they make no reference to opening any new chapters on Turkey’s accession to the European Union. At the same time, the report underlines the important geopolitical and geo-strategic role of Turkey within the EU.

In addition, the EP reiterated its strong support for the reunification of Cyprus, on the basis of a fair, comprehensive and viable settlement for both communities, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General.

And in accordance with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the values and principles on which the EU is founded, for a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with single sovereignty, single international legal personality and single citizenship, with political equality between the two communities and equal opportunities for all its citizens and residents.

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Cyprus is among the top three countries in the EU with the cleanest beaches scoring 100 per cent, according to a study by the European Environment Agency (EEA).

Tied with Malta and Luxemburg, the results show that all bathing sites in these countries “had excellent water quality” for 2014 and were followed by Greece, Croatia and Germany, which had 97 per cent, 94 per cent and 90 per cent respectively.

“Good bathing water quality is critically important for Europeans. It plays a large role in helping people to plan holidays and leisure activities,” the report said.

The results are a compilation of data gathered in 2014 indicating the quality of bathing water expected for this summer.

“I am glad to see that the quality of Europe’s bathing waters is consistently very high and continues to improve. It shows that policies work and contribute to our quality of life when they are ambitious, well-defined and well-implemented,” EEA Executive Director, Hans Bruyninckx said.

On the other side of the scale Romania scored the lowest with 22 per cent of its beaches clean while Albania and Poland were just above with 36 and 56 per cent respectively.

Karmenu Vella, European Commissioner for the Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said: “At some point we are all tourists, passing some time on the beach.  It is obvious that clean and safe bathing waters are important for us to stay healthy and the good news is that bathing waters continue to improve.”

Local authorities collect water samples at selected bathing sites throughout the bathing season. The samples are then analysed for two types of bacteria, which indicate pollution from sewage or livestock. Polluted water can have impacts on human health, causing stomach upsets and diarrhoea if swallowed.

Depending on the levels of bacteria detected, the bathing water quality is classified as ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’.

By Andria Kades for Cyprus Mail

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Europe is the ancestral home of white people, right? Wrong. Caucasians are actually a recent addition to the continent, anthropologically speaking.

Science magazine reports that white skin developed in Europe over the last 8,000 years, according to new research.

Earlier migrants to Europe from Africa (circa 40,000) were dark skinned, and most suited to the heat and intense sunshine of the southern hemisphere.

The later immigrants who arrived around 8,000 years ago and settled in northern Europe contained the genes that lead to depigmentation, or paler skin.

When these two ethnic groups mixed, the propagation of white skin, blond hair and blue eyes effectively began.

At least three ancient populations of hunter-gatherers settled in the region during the period including Yamnaya herders from near the Black Sea, who are thought to have brought Indo-European languages with them.

Credit: http://news.sciencemag.org/

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The European Commission has warned EU citizens that they should close their Facebook accounts if they want to keep information private from US security services, finding that current Safe Harbour legislation does not protect citizen’s data.

The comments were made by EC attorney Bernhard Schima in a case brought by privacy campaigner Maximilian Schrems, looking at whether the data of EU citizens should be considered safe if sent to the US in a post-Snowden revelation landscape.

“You might consider closing your Facebook account, if you have one,” Schima told attorney general Yves Bot in a hearing of the case at the European court of justice in Luxembourg.

When asked directly, the commission could not confirm to the court that the Safe Harbour rules provide adequate protection of EU citizens’ data as it currently stands.

... Read more

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Passengers holding tickets issued by Cyprus Airways, which is now in liquidation will be issued with new tickets until 28th February, the South Cyprus government has announced, noting that no tickets will be settled following that date.

An official press release issued notes that holders of CyAir tickets should apply to the company to verify that their tickets have not been used and then contact any licensed Cypriot Tour Operator to replace the tickets issued by CyAir.

Customers will be served provided that they have not applied for a refund.

Credit: Famagusta Gazette

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Billionaire Michele Ferrero, whose global chocolate empire made him Italy's richest man, has died aged 89.

His privately-owned firm is famous for its chocolate-hazelnut Nutella spread, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, Kinder eggs and Tic Tac sweets.

Mr Ferrero died on Saturday at his Monaco home after months of illness, according to his company.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella called him a "born entrepreneur".

Mr Ferrero's father, a pastry maker named Pietro, developed the forerunner to Nutella in 1946, called Giandujot, combining a small amount of cocoa and lots of hazelnuts to make an affordable luxury at a time chocolate was expensive.

'Richest candyman'

Michele Ferrero's son, Giovanni, told the BBC last year: "My grandfather lived to find this formula. He was completely obsessed by it... he woke up my grandmother at midnight - she was sleeping - and he made her taste it with spoons, asking, 'How was it?' and 'What do you think?'"

Michele Ferrero turned the paste into the Nutella now known the world over, produced in 11 factories and sold in 160 countries. The first pot was made in 1964.

Giovanni Ferrero became chief executive of the firm after his older brother Pietro died of a suspected heart attack while cycling in South Africa in 2011.

The Ferrero group employs more than 22,000 workers and has sales per year of more than €8bn (£5.9bn).

Forbes magazine described Mr Ferrero as "the richest candyman on the planet", putting him and his family in 30th place on their list of the world's wealthiest people, with wealth of $23.4bn (£14.9bn).

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Τhe two Mediterranean islands Member States, Malta (96%) and Cyprus (94%), had the highest shares of nights spent by non-residents in 2014, followed by Croatia (92%), Luxembourg (88%) and Greece (79%), and the lowest in Romania (18%), Poland (19%) and Germany (20%).

According to Eurostat, in 2014, the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation establishments in the EU is expected to have reached a new peak of around 2.7 billion nights, up by 1.

Credit: Famagusta Gazette

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The European Commission continues to look for ways to develop the Green Line Regulation.

According to sources linked to the Commission, it is currently interested in authorising the trade of farmed fish. In the past, permission for trading fresh fish and potatoes cultivated with certified seeds has also been given.

The sources say that the Commission’s yearly report on the Green Line Regulation notes that there has been a significant decrease in Green Line trade. The report, also emphasised the problem regarding processed foods.

Reminding that the Direct Trade Regulation is still pending at the European Parliament, the sources added that the Commission had not come up with any new initiative that would take the place of Direct Trade. However, it is reported that should all parties concerned with the Cyprus negotiations include Direct Trade in the Confidence Building Measures, then the Commission would support it.

The sources noted that the proposal of Direct Trade is on the table as part of the negotiations, adding that there is also the view that direct trade between the TRNC and the EU to support the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, may help the reunification of Cyprus.

Source Kibris Gazetesi

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Turkish Cypriot education unions have gained the right to be equally represented at the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE), ‘Kibris Postasi’ reports.

Following years of opposition by the Greek Cypriots against the representation of Turkish Cypriot education unions, it has now been decided that there will be equal and rotating representation between the unions on both sides.

KTOEOS union head Sener Elcil said that this was an historic event and that the rotating representation will begin in March after ETUCE meets in Brussels.

He noted that the union had been campaigning for this outcome since the year 2000.

Credit: North Cyprus News

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Conservative leader Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic has become Croatia's first female president-elect. Grabar-Kitarovic beat center-left incumbent Ivo Josipovic in Sunday's runoff vote to take the country's top job.

Grabar-Kitarovic won 50.54 percent of the vote while Josipovic won 49.46 percent, the state election commission said, after 97 percent of the ballots cast had been counted.

Josipovic, a law professor and composer of classical music, received 38.5 percent in the first round of the election, just one percentage point ahead of Grabar-Kitarovic.

The runoff was called because neither candidate received more than 50 percent of the vote needed to win outright in the first round of voting.

'Vote for a change'
Grabar-Kitarovic, 46, will also be the first conservative head of state in Croatia after 15 years of leftist leaders. A staunchly Catholic nation, Croatia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Grabar-Kitarovic previously held two positions in the Croatian government, European integration minister and foreign minister. In 2008, she became Zagreb's ambassador to Washington and assistant secretary to the NATO secretary general.

Earlier on Sunday, Grabar-Kitarovic said she was "very confident" of winning the vote because people would "vote for a change."

Improving economy a priority
The president's post in Croatia is a ceremonial position, but the vote could mean that the center-left government in Zagreb may have to improve its performance ahead of the parliamentary elections, scheduled for November.

However, Josipovic's defeat could mean that the polls take place earlier than expected. Grabar-Kitarovic said in an interview before the vote that she expected Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic of the SDP to come up with concrete measures to improve the economy.

"If there are none [measures], then we have to begin considering that the present government should go," she said.

Croatia, a member of the European Union since July 2013, suffers from a 20 percent unemployment rate, one of the highest in the world.

Credit: Yahoo News

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