Commenting on President Zoran Milanovic's decision to set the election date on a Wednesday, the Minister of Education and Science, Radovan Fuchs, said on Monday that the president has the right to declare a day off, but not the right to interfere with the school timetable and curriculum.

“Now we have to think about what we do with this wisely chosen election day. We have to decide whether schools should make up for this day or not,” the minister said at the opening of a meeting of primary school headmasters in the northern Adriatic town of Opatija.

Six national competitions are planned for election day on 17 April, public tenders have been held and hotels have been booked, so it is not clear how per diems will be paid to mentors if this is a non-working day, he said.