On the 22nd of December, the people of Croatia will vote in the first round of the presidential election, the seventh since the country’s independence in 1991.

How the Election Works

Aspiring candidates are required to gather at least 10,000 signatures within 12 days from Croatian citizens who are 18 years or older to support their candidacy. Their candidacy petition will then be filed in the Electoral Commission, which verifies the signatures within a 48-hour window. The Commission then publishes an approved list of candidates whose names will appear on the ballot.

The campaign officially begins after the publication of the list and ends midnight 24 hours before the election day, which will be midnight on the 20th of December for this election.

The president is elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term. If no candidate in the first round receives more than 50 per cent of votes cast, a run-off election will be held between the top two candidates. The candidate that receives the most vote in the second round wins the seat.

The Candidates

As at the deadline date (December 3rd), 12 candidates had submitted their candidacy petitions to the Electoral Commission in Croatia. Incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who won her first term in 2015, is seeking a second term in office. She was a member of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) until she had to resign after her election, as required by Croatian law. The HDZ is the largest centre-right political party in Croatia, holding the largest number of seats in parliament.

Her main contenders are:

• Zoran Milanovic, a former prime minister (December 2011 to January 2016) and former leader of the Social Democratic Party, the largest centre-left political party in Croatia.

• Miroslav Skoro, a singer turned politician. Skoro briefly served as a member of the Croatian parliament in 2008 under the HDZ. He is presently running as an independent candidate.

• Mislav Kolakusic, a former judge turned politician. He is a member of the European Parliament.

Pollssuggest that the election will move to a second round, with President Grabar-Kitarovic and Milanovic facing off in the second round slated for the 5th of January 2020.

A final list of eligible candidates will be published by the Electoral Commission on the 5th of December. Observers say there is a lack of rhetoric on hot-button issues, but as campaign officially begins and the election moves closer, candidates are expected to sharpen their rhetoric.