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Croatia: Milanovic in the lead but goes to the ballot on 12 January

The outgoing president, Zoran Milanovic, fails to win in the first round of the presidential elections despite his lead over the main challenger, Dragan Primorac

Zoran Milanovic, the current president of Croatia, obtained 49.12% of the votes in the first round of the presidential elections, according to official data provided by the State Electoral Commission (CES). Despite significantly distancing himself from his main opponent, Dragan Primorac, who achieved only 19.38%, Milanovic failed to surpass the 50% threshold necessary for an immediate victory. Therefore, the outgoing president is preparing to face a runoff scheduled for 12 January.

Political support for the candidates: SPD versus HDZ

Zoran Milanovic is supported by the Croatian Social Democratic Party (SPD), currently in opposition, in its bid for a second presidential term. His political experience also includes the role of prime minister, held from 2011 to 2016. On the other side, Dragan Primorac is the candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), the conservative party that currently leads the country’s government. The runoff will thus be a challenge between two opposing political visions, one progressive and one conservative, which could define Croatia’s political future.

Other candidates without significant impact

In addition to Milanovic and Primorac, six other candidates ran in these presidential elections, but none of them achieved significant results to compete for the second round. The gap between the main candidates and the rest of the competition showed how the race for the presidency was in fact reduced to a duel between Milanovic and Primorac.

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