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After the victory of his [[Croatian Democratic Union]] ([[HDZ]]) in the 2003 parliamentary elections the President of the Republic named Sanader the Prime Minister designate on [[December 9]], [[2003]]. When [[Croatian Parliament]] subsequently gave its consent by 88 votes (out of 152) on [[December 23]], [[2003]] Sanader was formally appointed. His predecessor as Prime Minister was [[Ivica Racan|Ivica Račan]] of the Social Democratic Party.
Sanader's political career was launched after he surprisingly took charge of the [[HDZ]] in [[2000]]. The party was in a delicate situation following the death of its founder [[Franjo Tudjman|Franjo Tuđman]] and the loss of the 2000 parliamentary and presidential elections. Previously Sanader had played a low-key role as Minister of Science and Technology (1992-1993) and later as Deputy Foreign Minister (1996-2000; when [[Mate Granic|Mate Granić]] was the minister).
Sanader's government successfully implemented the criteria stipulated in the Association Agreement signed with the [[European Union]] in [[2001]]. As a result [[Croatia]] became an official candidate for the entry into the [[EU]]. Sanader's [[HDZ]] has also sought to establish better relations with minority parties and has continued to promote minority rights. Amongst other factors contributing to the positive opinion of the [[European Commission]] and the [[European Council]] regarding Croatia's bid to become an EU member were Croatia's cooperation with the [[ICTY]], continued economic growth and country's compliance with political and economic criteria established by the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. [[Croatia]] is expected to complete negotiations with the [[EU]] during Mr Sanader's government's term of office.
Sanader has close relations with other moderate conservative politicians in Europe, including [[
Sanader has a PhD in [[Romance languages]] and [[comparative literature]] from Innsbruck University in [[Austria]]. Besides his native Croatian he is fluent in German, English, French and Italian. He is married and has two children.
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