Croatian composer as president

Dr. Ivo Josipovic, Croatian composer and former Secretary General of the
Croatian Composers' Society, has been elected President of Croatia. Josipovic has up until now been the director of the Zagreb Music Biennale the international festival for contemporary music where the RE:NEW Music network were holding the very first grand meeting in april 2009.

Ivo Josipović has gone from being almost unknown to the general public in Croatia to winning the most votes during the elections. He is campaigning for Nova Pravednost(New Justice), calling for a new social and legal framework to address the deep social injustices, corruption and organised crime which mark the country today. This includes the protection of individual rights and the promotion of such fundamental values as equality, human rights, justice, diligence, social empathy and creativity

About Ivo Josipovic

Ivo Josipovicwas born in Zagreb in 1957. He pursued parallel careers in music and law, obtaining a degree in composition at the Zagreb Music Academy in 1983 and a doctorate in law. He is a leading Croatian expert in criminal law and international law. At the focus of his activities were war crimes and human rights. He is a professor at the University of Zagreb Law School. His compositional oeuvre comprises around 50 works for orchestral, chamber, solo and vocal ensembles, some of them being prized in Croatia and at international competitions. Ivo worked as the Secretary General of the HDS between 1987 and 2000 and contributed greatly in transforming it to a modern and efficient
society, as well as developing the Croatian collecting society for musical copyright protection.  He is a member of Croatian Parliament since 2003.