Prime Minister Ivo Sanader told reporters on Tuesday the government had requested the president of the Supreme Court and chairman of the State Election Commission, Ivica Crnic, and Parliament President Vladimir Seks to see if the elections could be called for 19 December.
The government is not happy about the elections falling on a Tuesday, a working day, Sanader said, adding that this was determined by the Constitution.
He confirmed that he would initiate changes to the Constitution to ensure that presidential elections were held every five years in November or December on a Sunday.
Employers have already warned that they could suffer huge financial losses if the elections were held in two rounds, as this would mean a loss of two working days.
Reporters have said this could be avoided if incumbent President Stjepan Mesic resigned, which Sanader did not comment on today.
According to unofficial expert interpretations of the Constitution, Mesic could tender his resignation before the formal end of his term, after which elections could be called immediately on a non-working day.
Upon Mesic's resignation, his office would be taken over by the president of the parliament.
This had already happened after the death of the first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, when the office of the president was taken over by the then parliament president Vlatko Pavletic.
Stjepan Mesic was inaugurated on February 18, 2000 after two election rounds on January 24 and February 8.
Under the Constitution, presidential elections are held 30 days at the earliest and 60 days at the latest before the expiry of the presidential term. In case the president resigns, elections for the new head of state must be held within 60 days from the day the temporary president took up office.
PM Sanader said that once changes to the Constitution were launched, he would request that Bosniaks be included in the Constitution as a minority.
The Constitution will be amended after presidential elections, most probably in the first months of next year.