Davor Bernardić | |
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7th Leader of the Opposition | |
Assumed office 26 November 2016 |
|
President | Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović |
Prime Minister | Andrej Plenković |
Preceded by | Zoran Milanović |
3rd President of the Social Democratic Party | |
Assumed office 26 November 2016 |
|
Preceded by | Zoran Milanović |
Vice president of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia | |
In office 2 June 2007 – 26 November 2016 |
|
7th President of the SDP Youth Forum | |
In office 2008–2010 |
|
Preceded by | Dan Špicer |
Succeeded by | Saša Đujić |
Personal details | |
Born |
Zagreb, SFR Yugoslavia (now Croatia) |
5 January 1980
Nationality | Croat |
Political party | Social Democratic Party of Croatia |
Spouse(s) | Irena Coljak |
Alma mater | University of Zagreb |
Occupation | Politician |
Profession | Physicist |
Nickname(s) | Bero |
Davor Bernardić (born 5 January 1980) is a Croatian politician who has been the president of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) and Leader of the Opposition since 26 November 2016. He had previously served as the one of four SDP Vice-presidents, leader of the SDP's Zagreb branch and president of the SDP Youth Forum. Bernardić has been elected to the Croatian Parliament four times, representing the 1st electoral district.
Davor Bernardić was born in Zagreb on January 5, 1980 to civil servant Damir and nurse Dragica (née Tešo) Bernardić. His grandfather's brother from the fathers side Ivan Bernardić was a notable member of the Croatian Peasant Party who was sentenced to long-term prison sentences in Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the so-called Independent State of Croatia and SFR Yugoslavia because of his political activism. His grandfather Josip was also prosecuted by the communists so he had to emigrate to Austria where he died. His mothers parents were members of the Yugoslav Partisans. Having grown up in modest circumstances and wanting to help his parents financially by learning vocation, after finishing elementary school he enrolled in the Technical Vocational High School Nikola Tesla. He showed interest in mathematics and physics and in had 1996 become national champion in physics and competed for International Physics Olympics. At the national competition in 1997 he came in second, and in 1998 national championship first. He started working at the age of 14. His father was participant of the Croatian War of Independence, and died in 1998. After finishing high school, Bernardić enrolled in the Zagreb Faculty of Science and since he was one of the best students he got a Nacional weekly scholarship which was handed to him by the Prime Minister Ivica Račan. He was proclaimed a top student during his studies. In 2009, he became a research fellow at the postgraduate doctoral studies of physics at the Zagreb Faculty of Science. He also reported doctoral thesis in the Senate of the University of Zagreb, at the Zagreb Faculty of Economics and Business, on the topic of economics education with specialization in urban economics.