Zoran Milanovic secures his second term as President of Croatia

In the Croatian presidential runoff, almost 75 percent of voters voted for the current president, Zoran Milanovic. He is considered a critic of the government.

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic was elected for a second term. After almost all votes were counted, almost 75 percent of voters voted for the candidate of the opposition Social Democratic Party. Dragan Primorac from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) took about 25 percent.

"Thank you Croatia!" Milanovic said at the post-election party at a cultural center in Zagreb. "I see this victory as recognition of my work over the past five years and as a message from the Croatian people to those who need to hear it." ,  he added, referring to the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, with whom he has conflicts.

Milanovic, 58, led the Croatian government from 2011 to 2016 and was elected to the presidency for the first time in 2020. Two weeks ago, he narrowly lost re-election for a second term in the first round of voting with 49 percent. But then Milanovic entered the runoff as the clear favorite against Primorac in second place. According to the Central Election Commission, voter turnout on Sunday was almost 44 percent - slightly less than in the first round of voting.

Primorac had repeatedly criticized Milanovic during the election campaign as a "pro-Russian puppet" and accused him of undermining Croatia's credibility in the EU and NATO. Croatian President Milanovic has condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but has repeatedly criticized the West's military support for Kiev. Milanovic also opposed a program in which Croatian soldiers in Germany would help train Ukrainian soldiers.

The Croatian head of state cannot veto laws in Croatia, but he is heard in foreign, defense and security policy. During his first term in office, Milanovic repeatedly clashed with current Prime Minister Plenkovic over foreign policy. Both politicians have strong disagreements and constantly insult each other publicly./ DW (A2 Televizion)