Dragan Čović

Dragan Čović (born 20 August 1956) is a Bosnian Croat politician serving as the 10th and current Croat member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2018. He was the 6th Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2005 to 2015, and has been the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH) since 2005. Čović is a member of the Bosnian Croat people.

Čović was born in Mostar, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics in Mostar and worked as an economist at the Konjuh Factory in Jablanica. Čović entered politics in 1990, when he became a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ). He was elected to the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996, and served as Minister of Finance from 1997 to 2001.

Čović was elected Prime Minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2005. He formed a coalition government with the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) and the Serbian Democratic Party (SDS). Čović's government focused on economic reforms and the implementation of the Dayton Agreement. He also oversaw the country's application for membership in the European Union.

Čović resigned as Prime Minister in 2015, after his party lost the general election. He was succeeded by Denis Zvizdić. Čović was elected to the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018. He is the first Croat member of the Presidency since Željko Komšić in 2006.

Čović is married to Ljubica Čović and has two children. He is a fluent speaker of Bosnian, Croatian, and English.

Controversies

Čović has been involved in a number of controversies during his career. In 2009, he was accused of corruption by the Bosnian Prosecutor's Office. The charges were later dropped. In 2011, Čović was accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The charges were also later dropped.

In 2014, Čović was accused of nepotism by the Bosnian media. The allegations stemmed from the fact that his wife, Ljubica Čović, was appointed to a high-level position in the Bosnian government. Čović denied the allegations.

Awards and honors

• Grand Cross of the Order of St. Gregory the Great (2005)
• Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2006)
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2008)
• Order of the White Eagle (2010)
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (2011)