AFP – Croatians went to the polls yesterday to elect a new president, with the outspoken incumbent Zoran Milanovic appearing to be the favourite in opinion polls.
His likely main rival among the eight contenders for the largely ceremonial post is Dragan Primorac, backed by the conservative HDZ party that currently governs the country.
The election comes as the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member country of 3.8 million people struggles with biting inflation, widespread corruption and a labour shortage.
Milanovic is backed by 37 per cent of the electorate while Primorac had the support of 20 per cent, according to an opinion poll released on Friday.
But as none of the candidates are expected to garner more than 50 per cent of the vote to win outright, the new head of state is likely to be chosen in a runoff in two weeks.
During the campaign the two main rivals often traded insults, with Milanovic ridiculing Primorac as boring and as “fake as a EUR13 note”.
Croatia’s president commands the country’s armed forces and has a say in foreign policy.
But despite limited powers, many believe the office is key for the political balance of power in a country mainly governed by the HDZ since independence in 1991.
