- Croatia: elections might need a second round
- A big challenge for existing government
Croatia: elections might need a second round
According to official figures, the incumbent Croatian President, Zoran Milanovic, will face conservative challenger Dragan Primorac in the second round of elections in two weeks' time.
The results of a poll of voters released immediately after polls closed showed that Milanovic, backed by the opposition leftist Social Democrats, had won over 50% of the vote and would avoid a run-off on 12 January.
Milanovic won 49.1% of the vote in the first round, while Primorac, backed by the ruling conservative HDZ party, won 19.35%, according to results from almost all polling stations published by the State Election Commission.
On Sunday evening, Milanovic promised his supporters gathered in Zagreb to "fight for a Croatia with a clear stance that looks after its interests".
A big challenge for existing government
Such a significant lead for Milanovic, who was considered the favorite in the polls before the vote, is a serious concern for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic's HDZ party.
Late on Sunday, Primorac called the large margin between him and Milanovic a "challenge".
"There were... many candidates in the first round, so presenting the program in detail was difficult. Now it will be a great opportunity, when Milanovic and I go one-on-one, to see who represents who", Primorac told his supporters in Zagreb.
Croatia is electing a president for this European Union and NATO country of 3.8 million people, battling crippling inflation, widespread corruption, and labor shortages.
Based on ELTA reports
