Presidential elections were held in Croatia in December 2019 and January 2020. The decision to call the elections was made by the Croatian Government during its session on 14 November 2019. Potential candidates were required to gather at least 10,000 signatures from Croatian citizens who have reached the age of 18 in order for their candidacy to become official and for their name to appear on the ballot. They were allocated a time frame of twelve days to accomplish this and thus had until midnight local time on 3 December 2019 to present their signatures to the State Electoral Commission. A total of twelve candidates submitted signatures by the deadline and the commission then proceeded to verify the signatures within the following 48 hours, presenting a final list of eleven approved candidates on 5 December 2019.
In the first round of the election, which was held on 22 December 2019, former prime minister Zoran Milanović finished in first place with 30% of the vote. He was followed closely by incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who received 27% of the vote and by Miroslav Škoro with 25%. As no candidate received an absolute majority, a run-off took place on 5 January 2020 between Milanović and Grabar-Kitarović. Milanović won the second round with 53% of the vote and was elected the fifth president of Croatia since independence in 1991, while Grabar-Kitarović became the second consecutive president not to have been reelected for a second term, after Ivo Josipović (2010–2015). The number of votes received by Milanović in both the first and the second round was the lowest of any victorious presidential candidate to date, while the number of votes and vote share of Grabar-Kitarović in the first round was the lowest for any incumbent president running for re-election.
Background
The incumbent president of Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, took office on 19 February 2015 and her term is due to end on 18 February 2020.Kolinda prisegnula za prvu predsjednicu Hrvatske HRT, 15 February 2015 The presidential term of Zoran Milanović is due to begin on 19 February 2020 and end on 18 February 2025.
Electoral system The president of Croatia is directly elected by secret ballot to a term of 5 years using a two-round system. The Constitution of Croatia requires that a presidential election be held no sooner than 60 days and no later than 30 days before the expiration of the incumbent president's term. An absolute majority (50% + 1 vote) of all votes cast (including invalid, blank and uncast ballots) is required to win in the first round. If no candidate acquires such a majority, a second-round is to be held in 14 days' time, with the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the first round taking part. The candidate who acquires the highest number of votes in the second round (a majority of valid cast votes) is declared the winner. If one of the candidates who has won a high enough number of votes to take part in the second round were to abandon his candidacy or die, the candidate with the next highest number of votes in the first round will earn the right to take part in the second round. Furthermore, Croatian presidents may serve a maximum of two 5-year terms in their lifetime (a total of 10 years if both terms are won and served out in full).Važniji propisi Croatian Parliament
In order for a potential candidate to be legally allowed to contest the election and have their name placed on the ballot, they must gather at least 10,000 signatures from eligible voters, with every such signatory being permitted to give his signature of support to only one potential candidate. The time frame for collecting the said number of signatures is set at 12 days, and after the expiry of this period potential candidates must submit them to the State Electoral Commission for verification.
Candidates On 5 December, the State Electoral Commission published a list of 11 candidates. Candidate Party affiliation Political remarks Proof of nominationNedjeljko BabićCroatian Party of all Chakavians, Kajkavians and ShtokaviansThe candidate of a regional party, the Croatian Party of all Chakavians, Kajkavians and Shtokavians (HSSČKŠ). His bid was announced on 26 September.Submitted some 14,000 signatures on 30 November.Anto ĐapićDemocratic Alliance for National RenewalĐapić is nominated as the candidate of a right-wing party, the Democratic Alliance for National Renewal (DESNO). His bid was announced on 18 September. Declared himself the only true hard-right candidate. Formerly an MP (1992–2009) and the Mayor of Osijek (2005–2007, 2009), previously ran in the 2000 election as the candidate of the Croatian Party of Rights, finishing in 5th place in the first round. Submitted some 13,000 signatures on 2 December.Anto Đapić predao DIP-u kandidaturu i poručio kako je prikupio 13.000 potpisaKolinda Grabar-Kitarović (runner-up)IndependentIncumbent President of Croatia since 2015. Grabar-Kitarović is standing for re-election to a second and final term. Although formally independent, she was nominated by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union and is supported by three other centrist to right-wing parties (HSP AS, BM 365, and HDS). She is running on a centre-right platform. Her bid was announced on 8 August.Submitted some 231,000 signatures on 3 December.Dario Juričan(legal name is Milan Bandić)IndependentFilmmaker born as Dario Juričan. In 2019, he legally changed his name to that which is identical to the name of the incumbent Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić. His bid was announced on 18 September and is running on an anti-Milan Bandić satirical platform.Submitted some 13,000 signatures on 3 December.Mislav KolakušićIndependentFormer judge and independent Member of the European Parliament for Croatia. His bid was announced on 27 May. He is running as an anti-establishment independent candidate, focusing on anti-corruption and smaller government policies. Submitted some 15,000 signatures on 29 November.Dejan KovačCroatian Social Liberal PartyAn economist at the Princeton University. Kovač is a candidate of the centre to centre-right Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS), although he is not their member. His bid was announced on 4 August.Submitted some 16,000 signatures on 1 December.Zoran Milanović (winner)Social Democratic Party Candidate of the biggest opposition party, the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), and is supported by 12 other centre-left, green and liberal parties (HSS, HSU, PGS, NS-R, Democrats, IDS, HL, , Glas, MDS, SNAGA, ZS, ORaH). His bid was announced on 17 June. Former Prime Minister of Croatia (2011–2016) and the president of SDP (2007–2016).Submitted some 78,000 signatures on 26 November.Dalija OreškovićIndependentOrešković was nominated as an independent candidate, although she leads the Party of Anti-corruption, Development and Transparency (START). Her bid was announced on 7 July 2019. In 2018, she had initially publicly stated that she wouldn't run in the election. She is running on an anti-corruption platform. Former Chair of Conflicts of Interest Committee of the Croatian Parliament (2013–2018).Submitted some 11,000 signatures on 3 December.Katarina PeovićWorkers' FrontPeović was nominated by her own party, the left-wing Workers' Front, and is supported by the Socialist Labour Party. Running on a democratic socialist platform. Her bid was announced on 18 December 2018. Formerly a member of the Zagreb Assembly (2018). Submitted some 14,000 signatures on 3 December.Ivan PernarParty of Ivan PernarAt the time a member of the Croatian Parliament. Pernar was nominated by his own party, which bears his name. Running on a populist platform. He announced his intention to run on 7 June 2019 and officially launched a candidacy on 21 June 2019.https://net.hr/danas/hrvatska/bivsi-zivozidas-ide-dalje-ivan-pernar-osnovat-ce-stranku-ivana-pernara-i-ici-na-predsjednicke-izbore/ Net.hr, 7 June 2019https://www.dnevno.hr/vijesti/stize-jos-jedan-konkurent-pernar-u-utrci-za-pantovcak-otkrio-je-pikantan-detalj-1328103/ Dnevno.hr, 21 June 2019Submitted some 15,000 signatures on 3 December.Miroslav ŠkoroIndependentPopular folk musician and formerly a member of the Croatian Parliament (2008). Running as an independent candidate, supported by right-wing and anti-establishment parties. His bid is endorsed by HKS, Hrast, UHD, Most, Green List and was announced on 23 June.Submitted some 70,000 signatures on 3 December.
Withdrawn bids Vlaho Orepić withdrew on 2 December. He had initially scheduled the submission of his signatures of endorsement to the State Electoral Commission for 3 December 2019, however after having managed to collect only 8,054 signatures by the evening of 2 December, he determined that he would be unlikely to reach the required quota of 10,000 signatures by the set deadline and he thus withdrew his candidacy. He is a member of the Croatian Parliament (2017–) and the former Minister of the Interior (2016–2017). He had announced his bid on 11 July. Tomislav Panenić withdrew on 3 December. He is a current member of the Croatian Parliament (2016–) and the former Minister of Economy (2016). His had announced his bid on 26 June. Ante Simonić withdrew on 3 December. He is a former Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia, having served in the Second Račan cabinet. He had announced his bid on 14 July.
Failed candidacies These individuals failed to submit the required number of endorsement signatures. Slobodan Midžić, a perennial potential candidate who submitted just one signature of endorsement to the State Electoral Commission on 3 December 2019. He had previously unsuccessfully attempted to become an official candidate in the 2009 and the 2014 elections. Josip Juretić, an activist. His bid was announced on 7 September. Ivan Rude, a lawyer from Šibenik. His bid was announced on 16 September. Ava Karabatić, a TV personality, singer, and model from Zadar. Her bid was announced on 30 September. Subsequently, she endorsed Zoran Milanović. David Lucijan Rožman, a student. His bid was announced on 1 October. Antun Babić, a former deputy chief of mission-minister plenipotentiary in the Croatian embassy in Ireland. His bid was announced on 14 February 2019 Goran Jurišić, a member of HSP 1861. His bid was announced on 3 January 2019. Marko Vučetić, a member of the Croatian Parliament (2016 onwards). His bid was announced on 14 November 2018. Ante Pavlović, controversial charismatic Croatian self-proclaimed chiropractor and martial arts expert.
Declined candidacies These individuals have been the subject of presidential speculation, but have publicly denied or recanted interest in running for president. Ivo Josipović, Member of the Croatian Parliament (2003–2010), President of Croatia (2010–2015), and a SDP member. Zoran Milanović ultimately became the SDP's candidate. Predrag Matić, MEP (2019 onwards), Minister of Veterans' Affairs (2011–2015), member of the Croatian Parliament (2015–2019), and an SDP member. Zoran Milanović ultimately became the SDP's candidate. Tonino Picula, MEP (2013 onwards), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2000–2003), and an SDP member. Zoran Milanović ultimately became the SDP's candidate. Krešo Beljak, President of the HSS and a member of the Croatian Parliament (2016 onwards). HSS ultimately endorsed the SDP's candidate, Zoran Milanović. Anka Mrak-Taritaš, President of the Glas and a member of the Croatian Parliament (2016 onwards), Minister of Construction and Spatial Planning (2012–2015). Glas ultimately endorsed the SDP's candidate, Zoran Milanović. Božo Petrov, President of the Most, Member of the Croatian Parliament (2015 onwards), Deputy Prime Minister of Croatia (2016), Speaker of the Croatian Parliament (2016–2017). Most ultimately endorsed independent candidate Miroslav Škoro.