Presidential elections began in Croatia on the morning of December 29. The main rivals are candidates from the two largest parties — incumbent President Zoran Milanović from the opposition Socialist Democrats and former Minister of Education Dragan Primorac from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party.
This is reported by Reuters.
3.8 million Croats are eligible to vote in the elections. Eight candidates are running, three of them women. However, Croatian media say that only Milanović and Primorac have a real chance of winning. A second round of elections will be held if none of the candidates wins a majority.
Zoran Milanović was ahead in opinion polls before and after the election campaign. The latest poll, published by Nova TV Daily News, shows Milanović with 37.2% of voters, while Primorac has 20.4%.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudic and Ivana Kekin from the left-wing party "We Can!" each received 10% support in the poll.
Preliminary election results will be announced later in the evening on December 29, and official results will be announced in the coming days.
In Croatia, the role of the president is more ceremonial, as he cannot veto laws, but he has a say in foreign policy, defense, and security matters.
- In April 2024, the Croatian Democratic Union party of pro-Ukrainian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković won the elections. While the opposition Social Democratic Party, whose informal leader is pro-Russian President Zoran Milanović, came in second place.
- In March 2024, the Croatian Constitutional Court banned pro-Russian President Zoran Milanović from running for prime minister until the end of his presidential term in February 2025.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine please follow us on X.