Current Milanovic wins Croatian presidential elections: early results | news

Preliminary results showed that Zoran Milanovic, the candidate of the opposition Social Democratic Party, is on his way to winning a second term in office.

Croatia’s State Electoral Commission said that President Zoran Milanovic is on track to win a second term in the first round of the Croatian presidential elections.

Preliminary results of Sunday’s vote showed that based on the results of nearly 52 percent of polling stations, Milanovic, the opposition Social Democratic Party’s candidate, received 50.1 percent of the votes, far ahead of his main rival Dragan Primorac, the ruling party’s candidate. Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) by 22.3 percent.

An opinion poll conducted by Ipsos on Sunday showed that Milanovic (58 years old) is on his way to victory.

About 3.8 million Croats are entitled to vote among eight candidates. The position of president is mostly ceremonial.

Under the Croatian electoral system, a candidate must receive at least 50% of the votes to avoid a runoff. The elections are scheduled to be held in a second round on January 12 if neither candidate obtains a majority.

During his five-year term, which ends on February 18, Milanovic received Former Prime MinisterHe has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policy and has sharply criticized the European Union and NATO over their support for Ukraine.

The president cannot veto laws, but he has a say in matters of foreign policy, defense, and security.

Despite his populist rhetoric, Milanović is seen by many as the sole counterweight to the HDZ-dominated government, 30 of whose ministers have had to leave in recent years due to… Corruption allegations.

These elections came at a time when Croatia is suffering from high inflation rates and labor shortages.

Milanovic previously won the presidency of the Social Democratic Party in 2020 with promises to promote tolerance and liberal values.

Although he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Milanovic criticized Western military support for Kiev, a position that prompted Plenkovic to accuse him of being “pro-Russian” and “harming” Croatia’s credibility.

In response, Milanovic said his goal was to protect Croatia from being “drawn into war.”

“As long as I am president, no Croatian soldier will fight in someone else’s wars,” he said this month.