The current President of Croatia, Zoran Milanovic, wins with 77.86% of the vote, his competitor Dragan Primorac receives 22.14%, according to the first exit poll results, Croatian Radio and Television reports.
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The expression of will on Sunday took place from 07.00 to 19.00 at more than 6.7 thousand polling stations in Croatia and at 105 polling places in 38 other countries. 3,769,598 people had the right to vote. The State Electoral Commission accredited 14.6 thousand Croatian and foreign observers.
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According to data on the official website of the State Election Commission of Croatia, 34.77% had voted by 16.30; by this time, 36.09% of voters had expressed their will in the first round, and in 2019 – 43.52% of voters. The expression of will took place peacefully.
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In the first round on December 29, the current head of state, Zoran Milanovic, known for his resonant statements about military assistance to Ukraine, received 49.09% of the votes. The candidate from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) Dragan Primorac – 19.35%, turnout was 46.03%.
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Milanović effectively leads Croatia’s largest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), although he resigned from its ranks in 2020 after taking office, in accordance with the constitution.
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Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on November 5 called the country’s president “Putin’s poodle” because of his refusal to approve participation in the NATO Security and Training Assistance to Ukraine (NSATU) initiative. There was talk of sending two officers to Wiesbaden in Germany, which could be approved by two-thirds of parliament in 2025.
