Croatia holds presidential election with incumbent Nato and EU critic seen as most popular
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, is running for re-election in the Adriatic nation but is not Too likely to gain an outright majority in the first round of Sunday’s vote.
President Zoran Milanovic, who is often compared to Donald Trump because of his combative communication style with political opponents, faces seven other contenders, including the ruling Croatian Democratic Union’s candidate De Lagan Primolak.
According to pre-election polls, the two are expected to face off in the second round on January 12 if no contender gets more than 50% of the vote.
News you can trust and daily fun, right in your inbox
Experience it firsthand — The Yodel is your go-to source for daily news, entertainment and light-hearted stories.
Milanovic, 58, is Croatia’s most popular politician and a former prime minister. Milanovic has a populist style and has been a strong critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and the ongoing bickering between the two has recently marked the Croatian political scene.
Prime Minister Plenkovic sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and NATO. He branded Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing.
“The difference between him and Milanovic is very simple: Milanovic leads us east, Primolak leads us west,” he said.
Although the Croatian presidency is largely ceremonial, the elected president holds political power and serves as supreme commander of the military.
Milanovic has criticized Nato and the European Union for their support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He said Croatia should stay out of global disputes because it is a member of NATO and the European Union.
Milanovic also blocked Croatia from participating in a NATO-led training mission in Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will fight in someone else’s war.”
His main rival in the election, Primorak, said “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.” However, his presidential bid was hampered by the jailing of Croatia’s health minister last month. The fallout from a high-level corruption case that figured prominently in the pre-election debate.
Conservative independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudić was a distant third in pre-election polls. Her campaign focused on economic problems for ordinary citizens, corruption and population decline in the country of about 3.8 million people.
Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following snap parliamentary elections in April and European Parliament votes in June.
