- Title: Croatians to vote in first round of presidential elections
- Date: 26th December 2024
- Summary: ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 15, 2024) (REUTERS) RETIRED LAW PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB, IVAN RIMAC, WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) RETIRED LAW PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF ZAGREB, IVAN RIMAC, SAYING: "In my opinion, the two most likely candidates for the second round (of the presidential elections) are the current president Milanovic and the HDZ candidate Primorac. The other candidates are significantly lagging behind." ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 17, 2024) (REUTERS) IMAGE OF PRIMORAC AT CAMPAIGN RALLY AND TEXT READING (Croatian): "I WILL DEFEND THE BORDER AT ALL COSTS" PRIMORAC GREETING SUPPORTERS PRIMORAC EMBRACING CROATIAN PRIME MINISTER, ANDREJ PLENKOVIC PRIMORAC GREETING SUPPORTERS (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) CANDIDATE BACKED BY HDZ, DRAGAN PRIMORAC, SAYING: "We have a president for whom nothing is sacred, his homeland is not sacred, his work is not sacred, he wakes up at 11:30, he does not respect Croatian holidays, he is quarrelsome and does not know that a man with a pure soul, clean hands and a clean face can love his homeland, and he does not have that and that is why he must go, my dear friends." SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING PRIMORAC STANDING WITH PLENKOVIC ON STAGE ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 15, 2024) (REUTERS) SUPPORTERS SITTING AT RALLY FOR MILANOVIC MILANOVIC ARRIVING (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) CROATIAN PRESIDENT, ZORAN MILANOVIC, SAYING: "The fight will be fierce, it will be dirty and slanderous on their part, because we have seen everything in the Croatian political discourse over the years. The standard has fallen more and more. It's getting worse and worse, because the desperation of those and the room for manoeuvre that they use is getting more and more complex and smaller. It's up to you and it's up to us to fight to really prevent the arrival of people who are a threat to Croatian democracy and pluralism, I mean that most seriously." SUPPORTERS APPLAUDING (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) CROATIAN PRESIDENT, ZORAN MILANOVIC, SAYING: "I am for helping, I am for solidarity, we are all, however, I am also for a cold assessment of what is in the Croatian national interest, what Croatia can do, what Croatia needs as a human being and what it cannot do and what it should stay away from, and on the current scale of the big ones who are waging bloody wars over the weaker ones and the bloody war is in Ukraine, that is not Croatian business and it will not be Croatian business and Croatian soldiers will not go there." SUPPORTERS LISTENING TO MILANOVIC MILANOVIC POSING FOR PHOTOS WITH SUPPORTERS SUPPORTERS CHEERING SLAVONSKI BROD, CROATIA (DECEMBER 24, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MARIJA SELAK RASPUDIC, SPEAKING ON PHONE (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) INDEPENDENT PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, MARIJA SELAK RASPUDIC, SAYING: "It is time for people who are serious and who are ready to fight hard for this country, to work with quality and commitment, to come to the leadership of Croatia. It is time for freshness in the Croatian political space and I believe that we will fight for it already in these elections." BADGE ON SUPPORTER'S COAT READING (Croatian): "VOTE FOR MARIJA" ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 26, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE IN ZAGREB CITY CENTRE ZAGREB, CROATIA (DECEMBER 19, 2024) (REUTERS) (MUTE) VARIOUS DRONE SHOTS OF ZAGREB CITY CENTRE
- Embargoed: 9th January 2025 16:17
- Keywords: Andrej Plenkovic Croatian Democratic Union Croatian government Croatian presidential election Dragan Primorac Marija Selak Raspudic Zoran Milanovic
- Location: ZAGREB AND SLAVONSKI BROD, CROATIA
- City: ZAGREB AND SLAVONSKI BROD, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA002937525122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Croatia's incumbent president and a candidate backed by the governing party look set to go through to a second round after voters cast ballots in a presidential election on Sunday (December 29).
A poll published last week for public broadcaster HRT showed incumbent Zoran Milanovic with a clear lead of almost 39% support compared to around 23% for his nearest rival, Dragan Primorac, backed by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
An independent candidate, Marija Selak Raspudic, was seen as coming a distant third with around 9% support.
Milanovic, a former prime minister from the opposition Social Democrats and a populist, has frequently sparred with Plenkovic over public and economic policies, filling vacant posts and ways of fighting the COVID pandemic. They often traded insults and refused meetings on a number of occasions.
Croatia's president is empowered to nominate the prime minister based on election results, can dissolve parliament and acts as the armed forces chief with some say in foreign policy.
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