On Sunday, Croatians will go to the polls to elect the country's president. This is another vote that attracts a lot of attention because of the environment in which it takes place and the favorite number. Zoran Milanovic, who is running for re-election, is not a supporter of aid to Ukraine, which is at odds with the government. And representatives of the ruling coalition often directly express concern that Russia also participated in this election.
The presidential election in Croatia is similar to other elections in Europe this year. The focus of the debate is again the war in Ukraine and continuing to help the victim in the fight against the Russian aggressor.
“Croatian Trumps” is the opposite – that's what the press calls the current president, Zoran Milanovic. In the fight for his election, he started with pro-Kremlin and anti-Ukraine slogans.
– I am for help, I am for solidarity, but I am also for what is in Croatia's national interest, what Croatia can do and what it should stay away from. Croatian President Zoran Milanovic, who is running for re-election, says that the bloody war going on in Ukraine is not Croatia's issue and will not be Croatia's issue.
For years, Zoran Milanovic was considered a moderate politician. When Croatia joined the European Union in 2013, he was the prime minister. However, before the Russian attack on Ukraine, he called the demonstrations in Kiev Square a “coup d'état”.
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What do the surveys say?
Today, Croatia belongs not only to the European Union, but also to the Eurozone. It has been a member of NATO for 15 years. It is even more surprising that anti-Western and pro-Russian slogans of the president fall on fertile ground. Zoran Milanovic is leading in the polls, but the winner is likely to be chosen only in the second round of the election.
– Possible candidates in the second round are the current president Milanović and HDZ candidate Dragan Primorac. The rest of the candidates are significantly behind them, says prof. Rivan Rimac from the University of Zagreb.
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Primorac is an independent candidate and is the governor with the support of the Croatian Democratic Society. He is a supporter of strengthening the role of Croatia in the European Union and NATO.
– We have a president for whom nothing is sacred. Homeland or work is not sacred for him. He wakes up at 11:30, does not respect Croatian holidays, is quarrelsome. He does not know that there are pure people with pure spirit and clean hands who really love the Motherland. Croatian presidential candidate Dragan Primorac says he doesn't have it and that's why he should leave.
– The time has come for serious people to come to power in Croatia, who are ready to fight hard for this country and work with quality and commitment. Marija Selak Raspudic, an independent candidate for the position of the president of Croatia, says that it is time to refresh the political atmosphere in Croatia.
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The year of “super elections” for Croats
The president has limited powers in Croatia, although officially he is the head of state and commander of the armed forces. The government headed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has real power.
The president and the prime minister, to put it mildly, do not like each other. The extent of the problem of coexistence in Croatia is shown by the insults that both politicians regularly throw at each other. The mildest term is “although”.
– The fight will be fierce and dirty. On the other hand, there is slander. Over the years, we've seen it all in Croatian political discourse. Zoran Milanovic says the standards are getting lower and lower.
2024 will go down in history as an election year in Croatia. Croats first elected MPs, then MEPs and now the president. The second round of presidential elections will be held on January 12, if necessary.
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