Outgoing President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic spent 9.57 million kuna (€1.3 million) on her presidential campaign, while President-elect Zoran Milanovic spent 3.75 million kuna (€504,000), their campaign finance reports showed on Tuesday.

Former prime minister Milanovic, who won the election in a January run-off, ran a total deficit of 1 million kuna; he had received 1.28 million (€172,000) from his Social Democratic Party (SDP) and 1.44 million (€193,000) in donations. However, he is expected to cover his loss as according to Croatian law he will be reimbursed some 1.2 million kuna (€161,000) to cover his campaign costs.

Milanovic had spent more than half of funding, slightly more than 2 million kuna (€269,000), on advertising.

President Grabar-Kitarovic, the incumbent candidate backed by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), reportedly spent 9.57 million (€1.28 million) on her campaign, almost reaching the maximum spending limit allowed by law.

According to Croatian law, the maximum amount any candidate can spend is 8 million kuna (€1.075 million), or 9.6 million kuna (€1.29 million) if they make it into the run-off.

Grabar-Kitarovic also spent most of the money on advertising, some 4.78 million (€642,000). She had received nearly 7 million kuna (€940,000) from the HDZ and about 2.6 million kuna (€349,000) from donors. She spent more on her campaign this year than five years ago, when she triumphed over incumbent Ivo Josipovic after spending 8.13 million (€1.09 million).

According to calculations released last month, Grabar-Kitarovic will also get 1.08 million kuna (€135,000) in reimbursement, while singer-turned-politician Miroslav Skoro, who ended up third in the first round running on a right wing platform, is likely to receive a total of 827,000 (€111,000).

(€1 = 7.44 kuna)