Polls counsel that left-wing Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, who’s an outspoken critic of Western army help for Ukraine, will win.
President Zoran Milanovic will run in opposition to Dragan Primorac on Sunday, supported by the prime minister and his authorities.
In the primary spherical, which occurred on December 29, Milanovic obtained 49.7% of the vote in opposition to seven different candidates, just below half the votes wanted to safe an outright victory.
He was a long-time chief of the Social Democrats and spent a lot of his profession in opposition. Milanovic then served because the nation’s prime minister from late 2011 to early 2016.
Populist in fashion, he has been a fierce critic of present Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic who leads the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) social gathering. The fixed clashes and arguments between the 2 have turn into an indicator of the Croatian political scene.
After ousting HDZ president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic 5 years in the past, Milanovic has steadily moved in the direction of the precise aspect of the political spectrum lately.
However, it’s broadly seen as the one counterweight to the HDZ and its rule.
In April this yr, he tried to run in parliamentary elections because the Social Democrats’ prime ministerial candidate, in an unprecedented transfer that noticed a sitting head of state try and get elected to parliament.
Although he promised to depart his seat if profitable, the Constitutional Court prevented him from actively campaigning through the elections.
The Social Democrats then did not kind a majority in parliament, so Milanovic remained head of state.
From pediatrics to politics
Primorac was a pediatrician and college professor earlier than getting into politics.
Primorac has not been current in Croatian political life since 2009, when, as science minister within the HDZ cupboard, he tried to arrange an unbiased presidential marketing campaign.
During this yr’s marketing campaign, Primorac tried to current himself as a non-confrontational, unifier and in addition a Western-oriented determine, in contrast to Milanovic.
Although the presidency in Croatia is basically ceremonial, an elected president holds political authority and acts as supreme commander of the armed forces. It additionally has a say in international coverage.
Milanovic has repeatedly mentioned that Croatia ought to avoid international controversies, regardless that it’s a member of each NATO and the EU.
He blocked Croatia’s participation in a NATO-led coaching mission in Wiesbaden, Germany, and spent a number of months attempting to persuade voters that he was stopping Croatian troopers from being despatched to the battlefield in Ukraine, regardless that this didn’t has by no means been proposed.
ANNOUNCEMENTMilanovic had additionally tried to persuade opposition MPs to dam Croatia’s ratification of NATO enlargement, a proper requirement wanted to confess Sweden and Finland to the alliance.
Milanovic’s primary rival, Primorac, has repeatedly mentioned Croatia’s place is within the West, however his presidential bid was marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s well being minister in jail in November, and which figured prominently in pre-election debates.
In the primary spherical in December, Primorac obtained 19.6% of the votes, greater than the opposite candidates and sufficient to achieve the run-off, however it’s nonetheless thought of a disappointing efficiency from a candidate supported by the ruling social gathering which additionally boasts the most important variety of members. the nation.
Croatia has roughly 3.5 million eligible voters. Turnout within the first spherical was 46%, the bottom of any presidential election within the final 15 years.
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