{{Short description|Croatian politician (born 1971)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Mirela Holy | image = M holy.jpg | caption = Mirela Holy in 2011 | office = Minister of Environmental and Nature Protection | term_start = 23 December 2011 | term_end = 13 June 2012 | prime_minister = Zoran Milanović | predecessor = Ministry created | successor = Mihael Zmajlović | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1971|12|15|df=yes}} | birth_place = Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia | death_date = | death_place = | party = Social Democratic Party of Croatia (1998–2015, 2019–)<br />Croatian Sustainable Development (2013–2016)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/holy-nasa-podrska-josipovicu-nastetila-je-orah-u-985935|title=Mirela Holy: Zoran Milanović ne radi dobro i ništa ne čini da to promijeni|website=www.vecernji.hr}}</ref> | alma_mater = University of Zagreb }}
'''Mirela Holy''' (born 15 December 1971) is a Croatian academic, politician and a former leader of the centre-left Croatian Sustainable Development party (ORaH). She served as Croatia's Minister of Environment from 2011 until 2012, the first and to date only woman to hold this position.
== Education == Holy studied ethnology and cultural anthropology, and comparative literature at the University of Zagreb and received her PhD in cultural studies in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |title=dr. sc. Mirela Holy (SDP) - Libela |url=http://www.libela.org/page/dr-sc-mirela-holy-sdp/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120215061859/http://libela.org/page/dr-sc-mirela-holy-sdp/ |archive-date=2012-02-15 |website=Libela}}</ref>
== Minister of Environmental Protection == From 23 December 2011 until 13 June 2012 Holy was Minister of Environmental Protection and Nature in the centre left Government of Zoran Milanović. She resigned her position on 6 June 2012 after an outcry over an email in which she asked manager of the HŽ Holding to consider the possibility of not firing his secretary, because she was an elderly woman with more than 15 years of experience, and was working in that state-owned company for less than a month.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vecernji.hr/hrvatska/ovo-je-e-mail-zbog-kojeg-je-mirela-holy-morala-otici-417721|title=Ovo je e-mail zbog kojeg je Mirela Holy morala otići|work=Večernji.hr|accessdate=27 March 2015}}</ref> Mihael Zmajlović succeeded her as minister.
== ORaH establishment == In 2013 she left the Social Democratic Party due to her public disagreement with the party's environmental policy. After her departure from SDP, Holy founded a new party called ORaH (''ORaH'' means ''walnut'' in Croatian) which stands for ''Održivi razvoj Hrvatske'' (Croatian Sustainable Development).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2013/10/11/croatia-former-socialdemocrat-forms-green-party/|title=Croatian Ex-Environment Minister Launches Green Party|date=October 11, 2013}}</ref> She left the party in February 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/osnivacica-oraha-mirela-holy-napustila-stranku/889051.aspx|title=Osnivačica ORaH-a Mirela Holy napustila stranku|agency=HINA|work=Index.hr|date=23 April 2016|language=hr|accessdate=13 July 2020}}</ref>
== Activism ==
She is one of the most recognizable Croatian female politicians and a notable supporter of LGBT and women's rights.<ref>[http://www.libela.org/libelin-interview/2010-doci-cu-na-splitski-gay-pride-jer-je-to-praznik-demokracije/ Doći ću na splitski Gay Pride jer je to praznik demokracije - Razgovor - Libela]. Libela.org. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.</ref><ref>[http://www.zagreb-pride.net/izbori/frend.php Izbori]. Zagreb Pride. Retrieved on 2013-01-03.</ref> She was also named 'Croatian Homofriend' in 2012.
== Academic career == Since 2017, Holy has been a professor at VERN university.<ref>[https://www.vernuni.eu/news/Night-of-knowledge Vern University website, ''More than 600 visitors at the first ‘Night of Knowledge’ '', article dated September 18, 2017]</ref><ref>[https://www.vernuni.eu/news/Holly-BU Vern University website, ''VERN’s assistant professor Mirela Holy Ph.D. gave a guest lecture for students of Brittany University'', article dated October 1, 2021]</ref> She has also acted as the university’s head of ''Cyber Communication and Network Science'' programme and the ''Sustainable Tourism Management'' programme.<ref>[https://leapsummit.com/speaker/mirela-holy/ Leap Summitt website, ''Mirela Holy'', article retrieved 2024-06-06]</ref>
== Private life == Mirela Holy was born to a Czech father and a Croatian mother.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://objektivno.hr/intervju-mirela-holy-milanovic-mi-je-napravio-najvecu-uslugu-u-zivotu-32979 |title=INTERVJU MIRELA HOLY: Milanović mi je napravio najveću uslugu u životu! |accessdate=2015-11-04 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706050929/http://objektivno.hr/intervju-mirela-holy-milanovic-mi-je-napravio-najvecu-uslugu-u-zivotu-32979 |archivedate=2015-07-06 }}</ref> She has been in a 15-year-long cohabitation with Croatian photographer Siniša Bužan. The couple has no plans to get married.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/mirela-holy--sigurna-sam-da-nikad-necu-uci-u-bracnu-zajednicu--osjecam-kao-da-se-to-svodi-na-posjedovanje/1016290/|title=Mirela Holy u NOVOJ GLORIJI otkrila zašto se ne želi udati za svog dečka: Ne vjerujem u taj tip odnosa jer osjećam kao da se on svodi na posjedovanje|publisher=}}</ref>
==References==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy, Mirela}} Category:1971 births Category:Living people Category:Politicians from Zagreb Category:Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb alumni Category:Social Democratic Party of Croatia politicians Category:Environment ministers of Croatia Category:Women government ministers of Croatia