- Title: Sitting Croatian president set to win election run off
- Date: 30th December 2024
- Summary: CROATIAN AND EU FLAGS FLYING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT MARKET VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) PASSERBY, MATE (SURNAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "I’m sorry that Zoran (Milanovic) didn’t win outright, you know. I’m sorry about that because he’s an honest, respectable and a steadfast man." (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) PASSERBY, MILAN (SURNAME NOT GIVEN), SAYING: "I don’t even know who to vote for. I don’t trust them about anything. It (life) will be good for them, but for us? So I don’t have any smart comment about it (elections), honestly." (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) PASSERBY, STEFICA GRELJEN, SAYING: "I expect an even bigger difference between the two remaining candidates in the second round. I expect about 70/30 (percent, in Milanovic's favour) that’s my expectation." PEOPLE ON TERRACE OF RESTAURANT
- Embargoed: 13th January 2025 10:14
- Keywords: Croatian election Croatian president Dragan Primorac Zoran Milanovic election run off
- Location: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- City: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Europe,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA002001930122024RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Incumbent Croatian President Zoran Milanovic fell just short of a majority in an election on Sunday (December 29) and will face his main challenger in a second round in two weeks' time, according to results from the state electoral commission.
Milanovic, the opposition Social Democrats' candidate, won 49.1% support after ballots from all polling stations had been counted. His main challenger Dragan Primorac - the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union - won 19.35% support.
The two men will face each other in the second round of voting on Jan. 12.
One Zagreb resident who gave his name as Mate said he had wanted Milanovic to win outright, while another, Stefica Greljen, said she expected the gap between the candidates to widen in the next round on Jan. 12.
The post of president is mostly ceremonial. The president cannot veto laws, but has a say in foreign policy, defence and security matters.
During his five-year term that expires on Feb. 18, Milanovic, a former prime minister, has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policy and has fiercely criticised the European Union and NATO over their support for Ukraine.
Despite his populist rhetoric, Milanovic is seen by many as the only counterbalance to the HDZ-dominated government, which has seen 30 ministers forced to leave in recent years amid allegations of corrupt practices.
(Production: Branko Filipovic, Milan Pavicic, Lewis Macdonald) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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