Zukan Helez
Zukan Helez | |||||||||||||||
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Helez in 2025 | |||||||||||||||
| Minister of Defence | |||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 25 January 2023 | |||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Borjana Krišto | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Sifet Podžić | ||||||||||||||
| Federal Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans | |||||||||||||||
| In office 17 March 2011 – 31 March 2015 | |||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Nermin Nikšić | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Zahid Crnkić | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Salko Bukvarević | ||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 January 1964 | ||||||||||||||
| Party | Social Democratic Party | ||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Sarajevo (BS) | ||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina | ||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | ARBiH | ||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1991–1993 | ||||||||||||||
| Battles/wars | Bosnian War | ||||||||||||||
Zukan Helez (born 1 January 1964) is a Bosnian politician serving as Minister of Defence since 2023. He is also the current vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving alongside Staša Košarac. Helez was previously a member of the national House of Representatives from 2018 to 2023. He is the current deputy president of the Social Democratic Party as well.
Born in Kupres in 1964, Helez graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1988. He was part of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War. Following the war, he worked as a school teacher. As a member of the Social Democratic Party, he was elected to the Federal House of Representatives in the 2000 parliamentary election, and was then re-elected on multiple occasions. Following the 2010 general election, he was appointed Federal Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans in 2011, serving until 2015.
Helez was elected to the national House of Representatives in the 2018 general election, and managed to get re-elected in 2022. He became Minister of Defence in January 2023, after the formation of a new coalition.