Zagreb - Croatia had 3,601,578 registered voters at the end of the first quarter of this year, with all deviations across electoral constituencies within the legally prescribed range of plus or minus 5%, Justice Ministry State Secretary Sanjin Rukavina informed the Sabor on Tuesday.
The opposition, however, argues that there are fewer adult residents than registered voters.
“In comparison with the third quarter of 2025, the total number of registered voters decreased from 3,609,130 to 3,601,578 at the end of the first quarter of 2026. All observed deviations in the number of voters by constituency are within the legally permitted range of plus or minus 5%,” Rukavina told parliament while presenting a report on voter registration data.
The average number of voters per constituency stands at 360,100. If any constituency deviates from this figure by more than 5%, the competent ministry must immediately notify the government, he added, noting that this has not yet occurred.
IDS MP: Discrepancy of around 400,000 people
IDS MP Dalibor Paus warned that the number of registered voters does not match the number of adult citizens in Croatia.
“We are asking for the real number of people over 18 by constituency, as this would show a discrepancy of around 400,000 people. If you do not have this data, then you are not interested in it; if you do not want to provide it, then you do not care about equal voting rights,” he said.
Similar concerns were raised by Bridge MP Miro Bulj, who said the report could be “turned into toilet paper”, accusing officials of misleading the public with false figures and stating they should be ashamed.
Bridge MP: 151 MPs unnecessary for a population of 3.8 million
His party colleague Ante Kujundžić proposed electoral reforms including mandatory voting and electronic voting, as well as reducing the number of MPs. He said Croatia had become “a playground of two buttons – one red and one green”, adding that the 151 MPs were unnecessary for a population of 3.8 million.
SDP MP Sanja Bježančević argued that electoral constituencies should be redrawn based on population data rather than the voter register, citing Slovenia as an example where voter lists are directly linked to a central population register.
HDZ MP Maksimilijan Šimrak said the government and parliamentary majority approach electoral legislation responsibly, stressing that stability and predictability of electoral rules are essential to democracy.
“The most important fact is that we are discussing these issues based on clear, accessible and regularly updated data. That is a standard we must preserve and further develop,” Šimrak said.