In Croatia, pro-Russian Milanovic won the first round of the presidential elections.

In Croatia, all ballots from the polling stations for the first round of the presidential elections have been processed. The current president, Zoran Milanović, emerged victorious.

https://hromadske.ua/ru/politika/237055-v-horvatii-prorossiyskiy-milanovich-oderzhal-pobedu-v-pervom-ture-prezidentskih-vyborov2024-12-30 09:22:13

This is reported by the national broadcaster of the country, HRT.

Milanović received 49.09% of the votes in the first round, falling short of victory by less than 1%.

In the second round, he will face Dragan Primorac from the Croatian Democratic Union, which is led by pro-Ukrainian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković. Primorac garnered 19.35% of the voters' support.

The second round of the presidential elections will take place on January 12.

More about the elections in Croatia

This marks the eighth election in Croatia since the declaration of independence. In Croatia, which is a parliamentary republic, the role of the president is largely ceremonial. The president cannot veto laws but has a vote on matters of foreign policy, defense, and security.

For the past five years, the presidency has been held by Zoran Milanović from the Social Democratic Party.

During his term, he has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković over foreign and state policy. In 2022, the prime minister even apologized to Ukrainians for the president's remarks that Ukraine "does not belong in NATO," and that the Revolution of Dignity was a "coup d'état." For this, Milanović called him a "Ukrainian agent".