Elections representatives in Croatian Parliament are held every fourth year. Representatives to the Croatian Parliament are elected, on the basis of universal and equal voting rights, by all Croatian citizens over the age of 18. A Croatian citizen over the age of 18 can be elected as a member of Parliament. The mandate of the representative lasts 4 years. The mandate of representatives is not binding and they are not revocable.
A total of 151 representatives are elected to the Croatian Parliament, 140 representatives to the Croatian Parliament, not counting representatives of national minorities and representatives elected by Croatian citizens who do not reside in the Republic of Croatia, they are elected in such a way that the territory of Croatia is divided into ten constituencies (from I to X.) and 14 members of the Croatian Parliament are elected in each constituency. Three members of the Croatian Parliament are elected by voters who do not reside in the Republic of Croatia on the basis of a list in a special XI. constituency. Eight members of Parliament are elected by members of national minorities in the Republic of Croatia in a special XII. electoral unit, which consists of the territory of the Republic of Croatia.
The President of the State, in addition to announcing elections for members of the Croatian Parliament, convenes the first constituent session and entrusts the mandate to form the Government to a person who enjoys the trust of the majority of all members of the Croatian Parliament. In order to form the Government, it is necessary to have a majority, more precisely 76 signatures.
The first session of the Parliament no later than 20 days after the elections
Furthermore, it convenes the Croatian Parliament for its first session, and the first session is held no later than 20 days after the elections.
The Croatian Parliament is constituted by the election of the President of the Parliament at the first session, where the majority of representatives are present. The President entrusts the mandate to form the Government to a person who, based on the distribution of seats in the Croatian Parliament and the consultations carried out, enjoys the trust of the majority of all representatives.
The government consists of the president, one or more vice presidents and ministers. The members of the Government are proposed by the person entrusted by the President with the mandate for the composition of the Government. Immediately after the formation of the Government, and no later than within 30 days of accepting the mandate, the mandate holder is obliged to present the Government’s program and the Government to the Croatian Parliament and request a vote of confidence. The government takes office when the majority of all representatives in the Parliament express their confidence in it.
Based on the decision of the Croatian Parliament on the vote of confidence in the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the decision on the appointment of the Prime Minister is made by the President of the State with the co-signature of the President of the Croatian Parliament, and the decision on the appointment of members of the Government is made by the Prime Minister with the co-signature of the President of the Croatian Parliament.
If the mandate holder does not form the Government within 30 days from the date of acceptance of the mandate, the President of the Republic may extend his mandate for a maximum of another 30 days. If the mandate holder fails to form the Government even within that period or if the proposed Government does not receive the confidence of the Croatian Parliament, the President of the Republic will entrust the mandate to form the Government to another person. If the Government is not formed even then, then the President will appoint a temporary non-partisan Government and call early elections for the Croatian Parliament at the same time.
