Croatian legislative elections took place on April 17 2024, triggered unexpectedly by President Zoran Milanovic. The election saw the conservative party of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), lead in the polls, without securing an absolute majority.
Croatia has a parliamentary system where the government, including the Prime Minister, is chosen by the party securing a majority in the unicameral parliament. The President, mainly ceremonial, plays a lesser role than the Prime Minister.
The HDZ won 61 of the 151 seats in parliament, requiring 15 more for a majority, which Plenkovic needs to secure to continue as Prime Minister. Plenkovic already stated on X that he wants to form a government “as soon as possible”.
HVALA našim sugra?anima na povjerenju! HDZ je tre?i put zaredom pobijedio na parlamentarnim izborima. Vode?i ra?una o interesima hrvatske države, prioritet nam je što prije formirati stabilnu i snažnu Vladu. Uz potporu gra?ana, spremni smo i u idu?e 4 godine raditi za boljitak??! pic.twitter.com/kmQX3MsRPt
— Andrej Plenkovi? (@AndrejPlenkovic) April 18, 2024
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) finished second and the far-right Homeland Movement (DP) third. The DP has ruled out coalitions with the Croatian Serb minority party SDSS and considers an alliance with the leftist Mozemo party unfeasible.
Smaller parties, including Mozemo and Most, have advocated for unity against the HDZ.
Since its formation in 1991, the HDZ has been a pivotal force in Croatian politics, leading Croatia into the EU’s Schengen Area and Eurozone. Despite its achievements, HDZ is criticized for corruption and economic challenges.
