ZAGREB, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Twelve candidates had submitted their bids to run for the presidency, Croatia's election commission announced on Wednesday.
According to Croatian law, a candidate has to collect at least 10,000 signatures to become an official candidate. The Commission will check the signatures collected by the candidates and officially announce a list of presidential candidates in two days.
The main candidates include incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, former Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanovic, singer Miroslav Skoro and former judge and current MEP Mislav Kolakusic.
The first round of presidential election will take place on Dec. 22, and if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of votes, the second round with two candidates with most votes will be held on Jan. 5, 2020.
The official campaign for the presidential election will begin on Friday and will run through Dec. 20.
In the pre-election campaign so far, candidates have most often emphasized the need to fight corruption, relations with neighboring countries and a possible extension of the president's powers.
The polls give most chances to Grabar-Kitarovic, Milanovic and Skoro.
The term of office of the Croatian president is five years.
The current President Grabar-Kitarovic was elected in January 2015.
