Croatia is holding parliamentary elections with two main candidates for the heads of government, who have dominated the political scene in the Balkan country for years.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, a conservative, will face populist leftist President Zoran Milanovic. Both rivals are trying to lure voters with promises of prosperity as Croatia struggles with widespread corruption, chronic labor shortages, inflation, and illegal migration.
Andrej Plenkovic
Plenkovic is Croatia's longest-serving prime minister and is seeking a third term. He became prime minister in 2016, months after becoming leader of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which was badly tarnished by a scandal that forced Plenkovic's predecessor to resign.
Known for his moderate tone and his ability to fight corruption allegations leveled at the CDU, Plenkovic sought a more centrist path for the nationalist party that has dominated the Balkan country's politics since independence.
This time, his campaign is highlighting his achievements related to Croatia's accession to the visa-free Schengen zone and the switch to the euro.
However, opponents are trying to highlight cases of corruption linked to the CDU. Several ministers from the party have resigned amid allegations of corruption. One sitting minister was arrested.
Weeks before the elections, the appointment of a high-ranking judge as Croatia's attorney-general brought people into the streets over new corruption allegations.
Plenkovic, 54, was born in Zagreb, graduated in law and started his diplomatic career in the foreign ministry, with postings in Brussels and Paris.
After returning home, Plenkovic oversaw Croatia's path towards European integration before becoming a CDU MP. He became an MEP in 2013 when Croatia joined the EU.
"I decided to be socially engaged and make Croatia better, to contribute to everything that makes our society and economy stronger," he wrote in a recent social media post.
Zoran Milanović
Intelligent and purposeful, but also often seen as short-tempered and arrogant, Milanovic is running for prime minister for the second time, having held the post from 2011 to 2016. In recent years, he has adopted more populist rhetoric and flirted with the right.
He has been criticized for using obscene language in his speeches and interviews and regularly launching attacks on rivals, EU officials and critics.
"My temper is definitely not easy, but I will not be silent," he wrote in a recent Facebook post, vowing to "form a government of national salvation".
Born in Zagreb in 1966, Milanovic is considered one of the best law students of his generation and is a keen amateur boxer.
He worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during Croatia's war of independence in the 1990s and then spent three years working in the country's EU and NATO missions in Brussels.
In 1999 he joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the former communist party that appeals to progressive, educated and urban voters. He is married and has two sons. He was elected party leader in 2007.
Milanovic, whose five-year term as president expires in January, surprised many by announcing that he would enter this year's race as the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) candidate.
Croatia's highest court ruled against his participation in the vote while he is still president. However, he ignored the ruling and launched a de facto nationwide campaign.
When he became prime minister in 2011 at the age of 45, the SPD leader was seen as a promising young politician, free from the corruption that plagued the rival CDU.
But his government failed to implement much-needed reforms, entrenching widespread cronyism and bad economic trends.
After the SPD lost the vote in 2015, Milanovic stepped down from his post as party leader, retired from politics and worked as a consultant. He returned to politics in 2019 as the SPD's presidential candidate.
Describing himself as a man with a "left-wing heart and a conservative head", he won the election campaigning under the slogan: "the president with character". / BGNES
