On Sunday, January 12, the second round of the presidential election began in Croatia, where the current pro-Russian president from the opposition Socialist Democrats Zoran Milanovic and the representative of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party Dragan Primorac are competing.
Reuters reports this.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 Kyiv time and will close at 20:00. There are about 6,500 of them in the country. Exit poll results are expected to be known a few minutes after the stations close — until then, there is an “election silence” regime. Preliminary results will be known around 21:00.
An opinion poll published on Friday, January 10, showed Milanović leading with 67.4% against Primorac, who has less than 27%.
Slightly more voters turned out for Croatiaʼs presidential election on Sunday morning than in the first round, the State Election Commission said.
Presidential elections in Croatia
In the first round on December 20, 2024, over 46% of voters came to vote, and the current pro-Russian president from the opposition Socialist Democrats Zoran Milanović, won.
He received 49.09%, while his main rival from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union party Dragan Primorac received 19.35%. Zoran Milanović received the most votes in the four largest Croatian cities: Zagreb, Split, Rijeka and Osijek.
Dragan Primorac said he is happy that he will face Milanovic in the second round, because he will have to present his program. Primorac believes that his program is better and Croatia needs changes.
In Croatia, the role of the president is largely ceremonial, as he cannot veto laws, but he does have a say in foreign policy, defense, and security matters.
- In April 2024, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) 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.
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