In the first round of the competition two weeks ago, the outspoken Milanovic, supported by the left-wing opposition, garnered over 49 percent of the vote, just missing an absolute victory.
According to official results, Zoran Milanovic, the current president of Croatia, defeated his conservative opponent in a run-off and was re-elected with a landslide.
With more than 90 percent of the votes tabulated, Milanovic captured 74 percent of the vote on Sunday, while Dragan Primorac, supported by Croatia’s center-right HDZ party, received around 26 percent.
Although the presidency in Croatia is primarily ceremonial, Milanovic’s landslide win marks the most recent blow to the HDZ and Milanovic’s political nemesis, Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, following a high-profile corruption scandal in November.
According to the election commission, Sunday’s turnout was close to 44%, which was just less than in the first round.
The voting took place while the 3.8 million-person EU member state battles a labor shortage, widespread corruption, and the highest inflation rate in the eurozone.
Many Croatians believe that the presidency, despite its limited responsibilities, is essential to maintaining political balance since it keeps one party from controlling all the levers of power.
“A political generalist”
The HDZ has primarily controlled the former Yugoslav country since its independence in 1991.
In 2020, Milanovic, a former left-wing prime minister, was elected president with the support of the Social Democrats (SDP), the biggest opposition party.
He has been a prominent role in the nation’s politics for about 20 years, and in his numerous attacks on local and EU officials, he has used more and more aggressive, populist speech.
Political expert Zarko Puhovski told AFP that the president was primarily viewed as the “only, at least symbolic, counterbalance to the government and Plenkovic’s power,” calling Milanovic a kind of political omnivore.
Milanovic criticized Brussels as “in many ways autocratic and non-representative,” governed by unelected bureaucrats, on Sunday after casting his ballot in Zagreb and declaring his confidence in winning.
Additionally, the 58-year-old frequently criticizes the HDZ for the party’s ongoing corruption issues.
“Croatia has been and will always remain my number one priority.”
Milanovic has criticized the West’s military assistance for Kiev while also denouncing the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
