Croatia's top court bars President Milanovic from PM post

has put himself in a position where he can neither be a mandate holder for the composition of the future government nor the Prime Minister," the court said in its ruling. Milanovic dissolved parliament on March 18, triggering this week's snap election, and said he would run for prime minister and resign only after winning the polls.

Croatia's Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that President Zoran Milanovic cannot take up the more powerful position of prime minister after this week's elections, ruling the firebrand leader out of heading any potential coalition. The court said that Milanovic had failed to adhere to a March court warning that he should resign from the presidency before campaigning for the prime ministerial post again. The president has often criticised the European Union and NATO and has opposed helping Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union party (HDZ) won Wednesday's election with 61 seats but without securing a parliamentary majority, triggering negotiations among various parties to form a governing coalition. A coalition led by Milanovic's opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) came second with 42 seats. The result made it unlikely that Milanovic would become head of the government, but with Friday's court ruling he could not do so even if he managed to find enough support among smaller parties.

The far-right Homeland Movement took third place with 14 seats, potentially giving it a decisive role in getting the HDZ over the line. "By his statements and behaviour the President of the Republic ... has put himself in a position where he can neither be a mandate holder for the composition of the future government nor the Prime Minister," the court said in its ruling.

Milanovic dissolved parliament on March 18, triggering this week's snap election, and said he would run for prime minister and resign only after winning the polls. The Constitutional Court said at the time he must resign first. Croatia has a parliamentary democracy in which the prime minister and his cabinet set all major policies. The president is empowered to nominate the prime minister based on election results, can dissolve parliament and acts as armed forces chief with some say in foreign policy.

Final results in the election are not expected until next week because a re-run is needed in two polling stations after irregularities were recorded.

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