Croatia: Political Developments and Data in 2024

Abstract In 2024, Croatia went through a super election year, with parliamentary elections in April, European Parliament elections in June, and presidential elections (first round) in December. The sitting president, Zoran Milanović, garnered the highest level of support in the first round, coming close to securing an absolute majority of the votes. However, during the parliamentary election, he posed as a Spitzenkandidat for the center-left coalition, prompting the Constitutional Court to issue a formal decision banning him from taking part in the campaign due to separation of powers concerns. The ruling Christian democratic and conservative Croatian Democratic Union, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, managed to secure its third consecutive term as the leading party of a coalition government. The same party won an absolute majority of the Croatian seats in the European Parliament. Despite rising costs of living, the government managed to quell social dissent and trade union collective actions through broad salary increases in the public sector.