The current rector of the University of Zagreb, Damir Boras, has been re-elected to this position and will lead the largest Croatian university, where 75,000 students are currently enrolled, during a four-year term from October 1, 2018, to October 1, 2022.
The Senate of the University of Zagreb elected the rector through a secret ballot in the first round of voting.
Of the 70 Senate members, Boras received 54 votes according to unofficial information, while his opponent, Damir Bakić, received 15 votes, and one ballot was invalid.
>>>Damir Boras vs. Damir Bakić: The University of Zagreb Elects a New Rector
Thus, the University of Zagreb, founded in the second half of the 17th century, is the oldest university with continuous operation in Croatia and among the oldest in Europe, has a new rector. Only once in its long history has a woman held the position at this university – Prof. Dr. Jasna Helena Mencer, from 2002 to 2006.
An extraordinary Senate session in which the new rector was elected was held behind closed doors, despite an appeal from journalists from 21 media outlets who requested that the electoral session be open to the media due to significant interest not only from the academic community but also from the broader public, regarding elections that many consider important for Croatian society as a whole.
