Incumbent ahead

Presidential election in Croatia: incumbent ahead

The 58-year-old Zoran Milanović went into the election campaign as the clear favorite with the slogan "The President as President".

(Bild: AP/The Associated Press)

The final decision in the presidential election in Croatia will now be made in a run-off after all. The favored incumbent Zoran Milanović is clearly in the lead with 49.14 percent after the votes have been counted in more than 99 percent of polling stations. This is just not enough for a victory in the first round of voting, which would require an absolute majority. 

Post-election polls and initial interim results indicated a victory for Milanović in the first round.

Run-off election on 12 January
In the run-off election on 12 January, Milanović will face the candidate of the ruling HDZ party, Dragan Primorac. He received 19.4 percent of the vote.

Dragan Primorac, candidate of the ruling HDZ party

(Bild: AFP)

His result is seen as a serious blow to Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. The comments were that he had put forward a poor candidate who apparently could not even convince all HDZ voters.

Milanović supported by the left and liberals
According to the state election authority, Milanović, who was supported by the largest opposition party, the Social Democrats, and several smaller left-wing and liberal parties, won in all counties (comparable to Austrian federal states), including in the strongholds of the conservative ruling party.

Eight candidates stood for election
A victory for the incumbent on Sunday would have been the biggest surprise of this election. Both polls and political experts had predicted a run-off. A total of eight candidates competed in the vote for the highest state office.

According to preliminary figures from the state election authority, voter turnout was 46%, which was lower than five years ago.

Milanović was prime minister from 2011 to 2016 and took over as head of state in 2020. The president in Croatia has only limited powers. Similar to Austria, he is the commander-in-chief of the army and represents the country of around 3.8 million people on an international level. The 58-year-old Milanović is skeptical about Western military aid for Ukraine and is considered a populist.