Presidential elections were held in Croatia on 15 June 1997. They were the second presidential elections held since independence in 1991. The result was a victory for incumbent president Franjo Tuđman of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), who received 61.4% of the vote and was re-elected to a second five-year term. Voter turnout was 54.6%. The elections featured the lowest number of presidential candidates to date, with only three taking part; Tuđman, Zdravko Tomac and Vlado Gotovac. The margin of victory (over 40%) is also the largest to date. Tuđman took the oath of office for a second term on 5 August 1997 at Saint Mark's Square. However, he served only two years of his new term, as he died on 10 December 1999, resulting in early elections in January 2000.