Vesna Pusić (Republic of Croatia)
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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.