Zoran Milanović won a new mandate as President of Croatia

The incumbent head of state defeated Dragan Primorac in the second round by a convincing margin.
Zoran Milanović has convincingly won the presidential elections in Croatia, reports BGNES.
Incumbent Head of State Milanović (Social Democratic Party and partners) won a new 5-year mandate with over 74% support in the second round of voting, while his opponent Dragan Primorac (Croatian Democratic Community and partners) garnered close to 26%, the State Election Commission (SEC) announced. This is the highest result achieved by a presidential candidate since Croatia's independence. Turnout was close to 44%, slightly lower than in the first round.
Polling stations opened at 08:00 (Bulgarian time) on 12 January and closed at 20:00. There were 3 769 000 eligible voters. There were 6 650 polling stations in Croatia and 105 abroad. The largest numbers of voters outside the country were in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany.
DIK deputy chairman Josip Salapic said that the election day had been peaceful.
"Everything was fine, decent and in a democratic environment," he said, but called for an update of the electoral code, which has not been changed for years.
Milanovic thanked his supporters on Facebook and later made an official statement. He called for cooperation and pointed to the importance of respecting the Constitution and "fair distribution of resources".
Zoran Milanovic said he would not put public pressure on Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, but they would have to "talk".
"Sharing is a skill and a virtue, and today the citizens clearly expressed their opinion," he said, as quoted by HRT.
Dragan Primorac also tweeted a short, "Thank you!" on social networks after the results became clear.
The vote took place at a time when the country of 3.8 million people is struggling with high inflation and labour shortages. Even with its limited functions, many Croats believe the presidency is key to ensuring political balance by preventing one party from holding all the levers of power.
Milanovic's relaxed speaking style has brought him a sharp rise in popularity and helped him attract the support of right-wing supporters.
Earlier on Sunday, after voting in Zagreb, Milanovic described Brussels as "autocratic and unrepresentative in many ways", run by officials who are not elected. Milanovic, 58, regularly refers to Plenkovic as a "Brussels bureaucrat".
Primorac, a former minister of education and science who is returning to politics after a 15-year absence, campaigned as a "unifier of Croatia". The 59-year-old also bet on patriotism and family values.
"With my programme, I wanted to send a clear message that Croatia can and deserves better," he told supporters as official results confirmed his crushing defeat.
Critics, however, say Primorac lacked political charisma and failed to rally the base behind him.
He accused Milanovic of being a "pro-Russian puppet" who had undermined Croatia's credibility in NATO and the European Union. Milanovic condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but also criticised Western military support for Kiev. He is a vocal opponent of a programme under which Croatian soldiers would help train Ukrainian troops in Germany.
"Defending democracy is not telling anyone who doesn't think like you that they are a 'Russian player'," Milanovic said after the election day.
Such a style of communication is "totalitarian," he argued.
Meanwhile, young Croats express their frustration with the lack of discussion between political leaders on issues that concern them, such as housing or the standard of living of students. | BGNES