Croatia is a democratic republic with a president and parliamentary system of government. The parliament of Croatia, formed on 30 May 1990, adopted a new constitution on 22 December 1990. The executive authority is held by the president, elected for five years, and a government cabinet headed by the prime minister. Constitutional reforms in 2000 significantly reduced the powers exercised by the president. However, the president remains the supreme commander of the armed forces, and participates in foreign and national security policy decisionmaking. The constitutional court assures legality. In April 2003, the president was Stjepan Mesic, and the PM was Ivica Racan.
In March 2001, amendments to the constitution abolished the upper house of parliament (House of Counties) in what had been a bicameral legislature (also including the lower house, or House of Representatives). The unicameral parliament, known as the Sabor (Assembly), has 151 members elected for four-year terms. Parliament passed a package of electoral law changes in April 2003 that increased the number of seats in parliament reserved for minorities from five to eight. The threshold that parties must cross for representation in parliament is 5% of the turnout in each of the 10 electoral districts. The prime minister is nominated by the president in line with the balance of power in the Assembly. Domestic policy-making is the responsibility of parliament.