Croatia is a parliamentary republic that regularly holds free and fair elections. Civil and political rights are generally respected, though corruption in the public sector is a serious issue, and the media has come under increasing pressure. The Romany population, ethnic Serbs, and LGBT+ people face discrimination.

• In April, the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, won parliamentary elections with 61 of 150 seats in the Sabor—5 less than it had won in 2020. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) took 41 seats, and the remainder were won by smaller parties. Lacking an outright majority, Plenković formed a coalition with the far-right Homeland Movement (DP).
• President Zoran Milanović’s March announcement that he would lead the SDP coalition in the parliamentary election campaign resulted in a Constitutional Court ruling that that unless Milanović first resigned from the presidency, he could not be a candidate on any electoral list or campaign to be nominated as prime minister. Milanovic criticized the ruling and continued to informally preside over the SDP campaign.
• In December, Milanović won the first round of the presidential election with 49 percent of the vote. A second round, in which he would face off against the HDZ’s Dragan Primorac, was set for January 2025. Primorac had won 19 percent of the first-round vote.
• Several developments underscored concerns about corruption. In a March interview, the head of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) alleged that that Croatian officials were interfering with an investigation into alleged mismanagement of European Union (EU) funds afforded to the country following a 2020 earthquake. In September, Plenković’s government pushed ahead with the appointment of a new attorney general who was revealed by media to have had personal communications with a high-profile corruption suspect. In November, Croatia’s health minister was dismissed after being indicted on corruption charges. The EPPO in a November letter to the European Commission expressed concerns about Croatian authorities’ handling of high-profile corruption investigations.
• In March, the parliament passed a law that made leaking information about official police investigations to media a criminal offense punishable with prison time. The law was condemned by the Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND), large segments of the civil society sector, media freedom watchdogs, and the country’s president. Separately, a study by the HND and nonprofit Centre for Democracy and Law released in September found that 40 percent of all lawsuits brought against Croatian media between 2016 and 2023 contained elements of a SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation).

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.