**Croatia’s President Milanovic Re-elected in Overwhelming Victory**
In Croatia, the presidential runoff election was held on Sunday, January 12. According to the preliminary results from 98.65% of polling stations, the incumbent president Zoran Milanovic has secured a resounding victory for re-election.
The president in Croatia holds a mainly ceremonial role, as reported by Reuters and the Associated Press. The president does not have the power to veto laws but does have a say in diplomatic, defense, and security matters. The president holds political power and serves as the supreme military commander.
Even though the president’s powers are limited, many view the presidential position in this nation, which has been mainly governed by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) since independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, as a key to maintaining political balance.
Milanovic comes from the opposition Social Democratic Party. During his first presidential term, he has had several clashes with the ruling Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on foreign policy and public policy issues, with both frequently accusing each other.
According to the results from the National Electoral Committee, Milanovic is expected to win Sunday’s presidential election with 74.58% of the vote. The ruling party HDZ’s presidential candidate Dragan Primorac received 25.42% of the votes.
Croatia is a member of both NATO and the European Union. The initial results show a voter turnout of 44.15% in Sunday’s election.
“To all of Croatia, thank you,” Milanovic expressed to his supporters, “Today is an important day for me personally. I see this victory as recognition of my work and as a reflection of the people’s trust in me.”
After voting earlier on Sunday, Milanovic told reporters, “Over the past five years, I have carried out my duties with the utmost dedication, and I hope the people have seen that.”
He criticized the West for providing military support to Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.