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Croatia's opposition-backed President, Zoran Milanović, secured a resounding victory in Sunday's runoff election, winning a second five-year term with over 74% of the vote. He defeated Dragan Primorac, the candidate from the ruling conservative party, who received nearly 26%, according to official results released after more than 99% of ballots were counted.
The result presents a major boost for Milanović, who is a critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Milanović is also a fierce opponent of Croatia’s conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and his government.
In a speech after the results were released, Milanović said his victory was a sign of approval and trust from the voters but also presented a message “about the state of affairs in the country for those who need to hear it.”
“I am asking them (the government) to hear it,” said Milanovic. “That is what the citizens wanted to say. This is not just support for me.”
Milanović, 58, is the most popular politician in Croatia, and is sometimes compared to US President-elect Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents.
His triumph sets the stage for a continued political confrontation with PM Plenković, with whom he sparred during his first term.
Milanović also won comfortably in the first round of voting on Dec. 29, leaving Primorac, a forensic scientist who had unsuccessfully run for president previously, and six other candidates far behind.
The runoff between the top two contenders was necessary because Milanović fell short of securing 50% of the vote by just 5,000 votes, while Primorac trailed far behind with 19%.
The election was held as Croatia, which has a population of 3.8 million, struggles with biting inflation, corruption scandals and a labor shortage.
