- Title: Candidates vote in Croatia's presidential election
- Date: 22nd December 2019
- Summary: ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 22, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** INCUMBENT PRESIDENT OF CROATIA, KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC, WITH HUSBAND, JAKOV KITAROVIC, ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION VARIOUS OF GRABAR-KITAROVIC REGISTERING, TAKING BALLOT AND GOING TO VOTING BOOTH MEDIA GRABAR-KITAROVIC SITTING IN BALLOT BOOTH VARIOUS OF GRABAR-KITAROVIC CASTING BALLOT VARIOUS OF GRABAR-KITAROVIC TALKING TO REPORTERS (SOUNDBITE)(Croatian) INCUMBENT PRESIDENT OF CROATIA, KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC, SAYING: "I call on all voters in Croatia to turn out for the election today and cast their votes. Every vote counts, every person counts, because today we are deciding which direction Croatia would go. Today is a festival of democracy so get out and vote, so that Croatia can be even better and move forward. Thank you." PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF CROATIA, ZORAN MILANOVIC, WITH WIFE, SANJA, ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION MILANOVIC QUEUING TO VOTE MEDIA VARIOUS OF MILANOVIC BEHIND VOTING BOOTH MILANOVIC CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE)(Croatian) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE AND FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF CROATIA, ZORAN MILANOVIC, SAYING: "The campaign is over - actually it's not, since there will likely be a run-off - and I feel relieved, as I have been feeling since the beginning. But not in the sense that we have nothing to lose, but in the sense that we did all we could, I did all I could, people had ample opportunity to see (what's on offer) so it's now up to them to decide." MILANOVIC WITH WIFE LEAVING POLLING STATION PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MIROSLAV SKORO, ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION VARIOUS OF SKORO GETTING BALLOT PAPERS SKORO WALKING TO VOTING BOOTH SKORO BEHIND VOTING BOOTH SKORO CASTING BALLOT (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MIROSLAV SKORO, SAYING: "Today Croatian voters are deciding on the future of our country. One side has the people, who want change, and on the other side is the political elite estranged from the people, of various colours and political persuasions, infected with corruption, which we have shown during the campaign. Changes can happen, and for them to happen, people must get out to vote, despite the bad weather today." SKORO WITH FAMILY LEAVING POLLING STATION SKORO BOARDING CAR SKORO LEAVING
- Embargoed: 5th January 2020 12:06
- Keywords: Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic Miroslav Skoro Zoran Milanovic candidates voting election presidential election
- Location: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- City: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001BB249QF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The three front runners in Croatia's presidential election cast their ballots on Sunday (December 22) in what is expected to be a tight race for the run-off in January.
The incumbent, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, backed by the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Unio (HDZ) party, is seeking her second five-year term, and leads the latest polls with around 28 percent of the vote.
She is followed by former prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, supported by the largest opposition party Social Democrats (SDP), who is polling at about 26 percent of the vote.
Although Skoro had gained much ground in recent weeks by appealing to conservative voters who normally back HDZ, his rating appears to have stalled after an uninspiring performance at a debate aired on state television HRT earlier this week.
The election is also seen as a referendum on Grabar-Kitarovic's five years in office, which were marked by populist messages and frequent courting of nationalist voters.
The president has largely ceremonial powers in Croatia, with most of the authority in the hands of parliament and the government.
However, both major parties, the HDZ and the SDP, are hoping to receive a boost from a triumph by their candidates ahead of parliamentary elections due in 2020.
(Production: Fedja Grulovic, Boris Kavic, David Spaic) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2019. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
