2024 Croatian presidential election

Presidential elections are scheduled to be held in Croatia in December 2024. with a second round in January 2025 if no candidate receives a majority. Incumbent president Zoran Milanović is eligible for a second term. His first term began on 19 February 2020 and will end on 18 February 2025.

Background
Presidential elections will be held in the super-election year of 2024 during which voters in Croatia will also vote for the Croatian Parliament in April and European Parliament in June.

The first round was planned for December 2024, but on 15 March 2024 incumbent president Zoran Milanović announced he would run as a candidate of the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) for the position of prime minister. During press conference he revealed his resignation as the president would come "after election victory" in the parliamentary election on 17 April 2024. In that case the first round could be held no later than 16 June 2024.

Electoral system
The president of Croatia is directly elected by secret ballot to a term of five years using the two-round system, with presidents limited to two full terms in office. The constitution 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 receives a majority of the vote, a second-round is to be held fourteen days later, with the two candidates with the highest number of votes in the first round taking part. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes in the second round (a majority of valid votes cast) is declared the winner. If one of the candidates who has qualified for the second round were to withdraw their candidacy or die, the candidate with the next highest number of votes in the first round takes their place in the second round.

In order for a potential candidate to be allowed to contest the elections and have their name placed on the ballot, they must gather at least 10,000 signatures from eligible voters, with every signatory being permitted to give their signature to only one potential candidate. The timeframe for collecting the said number of signatures is set at twelve days, and after the expiry of this period potential candidates must submit them to the State Electoral Commission for verification.

Declared candidates

 * Zoran Milanović (independent, endorsed by SDP, HSS, NS-R and NPS ), incumbent president of Croatia (since 2020), Prime Minister (2011–2016)
 * Mislav Kolakušić (PiP), former MEP (2019–2024)

Potential candidates

 * Ivan Šimonović (independent), Minister of Justice (2008–2010)
 * Tomo Medved (HDZ), incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans
 * Nino Raspudić (independent), incumbent MP for electoral district II
 * Bojan Glavašević (independent), MP for electoral district VI (2020–2024) and son of Siniša Glavašević
 * Davor Ivo Stier (HDZ), incumbent MP for electoral district VI and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (2016–2017)
 * Marija Selak Raspudić (independent), incumbent MP for electoral district I

Declined to be candidates

 * Oleg Butković (HDZ), incumbent Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure
 * Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (independent), president of Croatia (2015–2020)
 * Gordan Jandroković (HDZ), incumbent Speaker of the Croatian Parliament