Croatians Fail to Elect a President in First Round, State Election Commission Reports”
The state election commission announced the results of the first round of the presidential election, with 99.91% of the ballots counted, showing that no candidate received more than 50% of the votes, the threshold needed to win the round.
Incumbent President Zoran Milanović, known for his criticism of aid to Ukraine, received 49.1% of the votes, running as an independent candidate but backed by a center-left coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (PSD). His main rival, former Education Minister Dragan Primorac, garnered 19.35% of the votes, and the two will proceed to the second round on January 12. A total of eight candidates participated in the election, with the others receiving 9% or less of the vote. The voter turnout was 46.02%.
Milanović thanked his supporters, cautioning that this was “only the first round” and emphasizing the need to remain realistic and focused on their goals. He said: “Let’s not triumph, but be realistic and stand firmly on our feet [..] we must fight again and again. Nothing is over yet.”
Surveys had previously predicted that Milanović would not receive more than 37% of the vote in the first round, and the Dnevnik magazine described the actual result as a “severe setback” for Prime Minister Andrej Plenković of the Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ).
During his presidency, Milanović has repeatedly clashed with the prime minister on foreign and state policy issues, strongly criticizing the European Union and NATO for their support of Ukraine, as Reuters noted. The president himself has been criticized by pro-Western politicians for his pro-Russian stance in the military conflict between Moscow and Kiev.