Croatia’s President Zoran Milanovic is poised for a clear election victory, according to preliminary results from the runoff election for the presidency, as reported by Croatian media outlets.
According to the reports, Milanovic, the incumbent from the Social Democratic Party (SDP), is leading his challenger, Dragan Primorac of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), with around 74% of the vote as of 8:30 PM. A clear victory for Milanovic was anticipated, following his close but ultimately successful first-round campaign, where he secured 49.2% of the vote, while Primorac garnered 19.4%.
Prior to the runoff, Primorac had repeatedly criticized Milanovic as a Russia-friendly president, citing Milanovic’s opposition to military support for Ukraine.
SDP leader Sinisa Hajdas Doncic told the Croatian newspaper “Sata 24” on Sunday, following the initial official results from the State Electoral Commission, that the party expects a better outcome in the May municipal elections, citing Milanovic’s clear victory. He also called for the resignation of HDZ Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
“In normal, traditional democracies, the prime minister would step down after such an election result, and we would hold extraordinary elections” the SDP leader said. “I know, however, that Plenkovic is not that kind of person. He will fight with all his might and all available means to stay in office for as long as possible. We will try to make it hard for him and see how successful we are.