Croatian presidential elections on December 29, runoff on January 12

(Patria) - The Croatian government has made an official decision to hold the presidential elections on Sunday, December 29, 2024, with the decision taking effect on November 28, from which point the deadlines for collecting candidacy signatures begin.

"At least 30 days must pass from the day of the announcement to the day of the election, which is why the government has set Sunday, December 29, 2024," said Minister of Justice, Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan.

To be able to compete for Pantovčak, candidates have 12 days from midnight on November 29, 2024, to collect 10,000 signatures from adult Croatian citizens, regardless of whether they are backed by political parties or are independent, and each person can support only one candidate with their signature.

After the 12-day period for collecting signatures expires, the State Election Commission has 48 hours to verify the signatures and publish the list of valid candidates, meaning that the official election campaign begins on December 13, 2024, and lasts until 24 hours before the election day, when the election silence begins.

If no candidate wins a majority of all votes cast in the first round, a runoff between the two candidates who received the most votes will be held 14 days later, i.e., on January 12, 2025.