The President of Croatia announced elections on 17 October and 14 days were allowed for candidate lists to be submitted.

[5] The governing centre-right Croatian Democratic Union emerged as the relative winner of the election, but failed to obtain an outright majority.

The election resulted in the formation of the Sanader II cabinet supported by HDZ, HSS, HSLS and the representatives of national minorities.

Croatian political parties and independent lists had to formally submit their candidates and eventual pre-election coalitions not later than 30 October.

[8] [8] On 11 December 2007 GONG and Transparency International Croatia had published media spending of all Croatian political parties during the election period.

[14] President Mesić explained that his constitutional obligation was to give a mandate to form a government to a person who presents him with convincing proof that they have support of a majority of the newly elected parliament.

[15] As the president failed to announce that he will give the mandate to Ivo Sanader, leader of the party with the most seats in the parliament, he was criticised by many[16][17][18] for complicating the situation and starting a political crisis.

Jurčić confirmed that he thinks that "responsibility for functioning of the government should be distributed among heads of parties and that is the best concept in this circumstances".

[31] Three days later, President Mesić held a second round of consultations with parliamentary parties and was reassured that HDZ and HSS-HSLS are finishing their negotiations.

Mesić considered that a proof that Sanader had support of the majority of Sabor and handed him a mandate to form a government.

Sanader described this behaviour as "not fitting the democratic standards" and that president would have much easier job if SDP just acknowledged their defeat.