1997 Croatian presidential election

1997 Croatian presidential election

← 1992 15 June 1997 2000 →
Turnout	54.62%
Nominee Franjo Tuđman Zdravko Tomac Vlado Gotovac Party HDZ SDP HSLS Popular vote 1,337,990 458,172 382,630 Percentage 61.41% 21.03% 17.56%
President before election Franjo Tuđman HDZ Elected President Franjo Tuđman HDZ

Presidential elections were held in Croatia on 15 June 1997.^[1] They were the second presidential elections held since independence in 1991. The result was a victory for incumbent president Franjo Tuđman, the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union party (HDZ), who received 61.40% of the vote and was re-elected to a second five-year term. As Tuđman received a majority of the valid votes cast on election day there was no need for a run-off. President Tuđman received a plurality of the votes in 20 of Croatia's 21 counties, while Vlado Gotovac did so in Istria County.

Voter turnout in the election was 54.62%, which was a large decline from the 74.9% turnout registered five years previous. Furthermore, about 459.000 fewer votes were cast in comparison to the previous election in 1992.^[2] The elections also featured the smallest number of presidential candidates to date, with only three taking part: Franjo Tuđman, Zdravko Tomac and Vlado Gotovac. The margin of victory (over 40%) is also the largest in any election to date.

OSCE delegation observing the elections concluded that "the process leading up to the election was fundamentally flawed, and did not meet the minimum standards for a meaningful and democratic election in line with OSCE standards."^[3]