41. Are there limits on the amount a candidate can spend?

"The total amount of election campaign costs per candidate or per list of candidates shall not exceed the following amounts:
– HRK 8,000,000.00 (eight million) in the case of elections for President of the Republic of Croatia;
– HRK 1,500,000.00 (one million five hundred thousand) within a single constituency in the case of the election of MPs;
– HRK 1,500,000.00 (one million five hundred thousand) in the case of the election of members to the European Parliament;
– HRK 1,000,000.00 (one million) in the case of elections for the mayor of the City of Zagreb;

– HRK 600,000.00 (six hundred thousand) in the case of elections for county prefect and mayor of major cities.

– HRK 250,000.00 (two hundred and fifty thousand) in the case of elections for city and municipality head in local self-government units with a population exceeding 10,000;
– HRK 100,000.00 (one hundred thousand) in the case of elections for city and municipal chief officials in local self-government units with populations from 3,001 to 10,000;
– HRK 50,000.00 (fifty thousand) in the case of elections for mayor and municipality head in local self-government units with a population not exceeding 3,000.
The amounts specified in paragraph (1)(iv),(v),(vi),(vii) and (viii) of this Article with regard to elections for chief officials in local and regional self-government units shall also apply to elections for members of the representative bodies of those units.
In the elections for deputy municipality head, city mayor and county prefect elected from among members of national minorities, the total amount of election campaign costs shall not exceed 50% of the amount laid down for the election campaign costs of the candidates for municipality head, city mayor and county prefect in the same units.

The total amount of election campaign costs in the elections for President of the Republic of Croatia, in the elections for municipality head, city mayor, county prefect and mayor of the City of Zagreb, and for deputy municipality head, city mayor, and county prefect elected from among members of national minorities may be increased by 20% of the total maximum amount determined in paragraph (1)(i),(iv),(v),(vi),(vii) and (viii) of this Article, or paragraph (3) of this Article for candidates who reach the second and the third rounds of elections. The total amount of election campaign costs may be further increased by the same percentage for every subsequent election round.

If the total amount of donations received for the financing of election campaign costs exceeds the eligible amount of election campaign costs laid down in paragraph (1) of this Article, political parties, leaders of independent lists or leaders of lists of groups of voters and candidates shall return the total amount of donations exceeding the eligible amount of election campaign costs to their payers, in proportion to the value of any such received donation not later than the time limit prescribed for the submission of the election campaign financing statement referred to in Article 34 of this Act."

Source: Article 17, POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND ELECTION CAMPAIGN FINANCING ACT (consolidated text) 2013, (with 2016 amendment included)