Crnic said that all presidential candidates must collect at least 10,000 signatures and hand their court-certified candidacies in by midnight on December 13. Forty-eight hours after this deadline the Election Commission will publish the list of presidential candidates in all daily newspapers and on the HRT national television network.
Crnic said that signatures must be collected on prescribed forms, indicating a signatory's first and last names and address. Signatories must prove their identity by presenting their ID card or passport.
The novelty of the election is that the candidates will bear the costs of their election campaign on their own or using donations from domestic legal or natural persons.
Crnic pointed out that the candidates may not be financed by public companies, companies in majority state ownership, or associations of workers or employers.
The candidates must submit information on the amount and sources of the funds spent on the election campaign to the Election Commission within 15 days of election day.
The election campaign officially lasts from December 16 to 31, while on January 1 and 2 a moratorium on electioneering is to be observed.
On election day, polling stations will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Croatian citizens living abroad will be able to cast their ballots on January 2 at about 150 polling stations in some 50 countries.