Largest and most popular ethnic Croat minority-interests party in the country and a key founding party of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Leaders of HDZ created and led the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna (1991-96), a proto-nation set up in response to Serb aggression in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which evolved into the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina on August 14, 1996. The party's chairman since June 4, 2005 is the 4th and 7th Bih President, Dragan Covic [Croatian Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Hrvatska demokratska zajednica Bosne i Hercegovine (HDZ BiH)]