Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said he will not respect the warning of the Constitutional Court that he cannot run for prime minister in the April 17 general election, that he despises warnings and that he will do what his conscience tells him.

Earlier in March, Milanovic said he will run for prime minister and, if his SDP party wins, he will quit the presidential post. However, the Constitutional Court ruled that Milanovic is prohibited from participating in any political activities during his term in office.

“I despise warnings. [The Constitutional Court] cannot do anything to me. They violate the constitution and pose a mortal threat to Croatian democracy. I will not comply and will do what my conscience tells me, which is to take care of the functioning of the system,” Milanovic told reporters as quoted by N1.

“The constitution does not prohibit it. Declaring that something is not in the spirit of the constitution is not valid. In a liberal democracy, what is not forbidden is allowed to citizens, and I am a citizen,” he added.

Milanovic also claims the Constitutional Court’s ruling was completely unfounded and that the court should have issued a decision or an order instead.

He added that he had not yet made a decision on whether he will also run in the European elections.

The court said that if Milanovic decides to pursue candidacy in the parliamentary elections or announce himself as a future prime ministerial candidate, he must promptly tender his resignation to the head of the Constitutional Court. In such a scenario, the parliament speaker would assume the role of interim president of the country, as stipulated by constitutional provisions.

Milanovic declared his candidacy for prime minister in the upcoming parliamentary elections at a press conference alongside opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Pedja Grbin on March 15. 

Croatia's prime minister has significant policy-making authority. The president, meanwhile, has the right to nominate the prime minister based on election outcomes and influences foreign policy as the armed forces chief. 

On Facebook, Milanovic expanded on his plans to resign from the presidency if elected prime minister. 

He expressed confidence in his electoral prospects and pledged to make the transition seamlessly from the presidency to leading the government, where he would  “throw out thieves, oppressors and their helpers”, creating a fairer Croatia where "rivers of justice will flow in the spring”. 

Milanovic, backed by the SDP for the presidency, has an acrimonious relationship with current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and the ruling Croatia Democratic Union (HDZ). The two have clashed repeatedly, including over Croatia’s foreign policy and stance on the war in Ukraine. 

Previously, Milanovic was Croatian prime minister between 2011 and 2016.