Croatia's presidential election: Pro-Russian Milanović among the candidates
Photo: Zoran Milanović (Getty Images)
The presidential election in Croatia started on Sunday, December 29. Eight candidates are running for the presidency, reports HRT.
During the first round of the presidential election, 6,500 polling stations were opened. They will accept voters until the evening of December 29. After that, the results of exit polls are expected.
There are eight candidates in total. Incumbent pro-Russian President Zoran Milanović, a candidate of the opposition Social Democrats, is running for a second term. The latest poll showed that he has the support of 37.2% of voters.
His main rival, former Science Minister Dragan Primorac, who is backed by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, has 20.4%.
There are also two independent candidates on the list: Marija Selak Raspudić and Ivana Kekin from the left-wing Green Party. They have about 10% each.
Other candidates running for president are: the mayor of Sinj, Miro Bulj, independent candidates Tomislav Jonjić and Niko Tokić, and the vice chairman of the DOMiNO political party, Branka Lozo.
If none of the candidates receives 50% of the vote, the second round of the presidential election will take place on January 12, 2025.
Croatia held parliamentary elections in April 2024. The Croatian Democratic Union, headed by the current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, won.
The coalition led by the opposition Social Democratic Party came in second. The unofficial leader of the coalition is pro-Russian President Zoran Milanović. The Croatian Constitutional Court has banned Milanović from being prime minister in the future.
In January 2023, Zoran Milanović said that Russia “cannot be defeated.” And in October 2024, he did not allow the Croatian army to participate in the NATO mission to support Ukraine.
