Croatia’s presidential election: Zoran Milanovic set to win second time period, exit ballot reveals
&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Croatia’s presidential election: Zoran Milanovic set to win second time period, exit ballot reveals")
Croats had been voting to elect a brand new president on Sunday in a race that incumbent Zoran Milanovic, a critic of the European Union and NATO support to Ukraine, is main within the polls.
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Croatia’s outspoken President Zoran Milanovic gained Sunday’s election within the first spherical, in keeping with an exit ballot. He acquired greater than 50 p.c of the vote.
Round 3.8 million Croats are eligible to vote for one in every of eight candidates, three of whom are girls, starting from the left to the best of the political spectrum. The submit of president is usually ceremonial.
Milanovic, the opposition Socialist Democrats’ candidate, is operating for a second time period. His predominant challenger is Dragan Primorac, a former science minister backed by the governing Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
Milanovic, backed by the opposition left-wing Social Democrats, gained 51.48 p.c of the vote whereas Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ occasion, got here second with 19.29 p.c, confirmed the exit ballot launched by the state-run HRT tv instantly after polling stations closed.
The election comes because the European Union and NATO member nation of three.8 million folks struggles with biting inflation, widespread corruption and a labour scarcity.
Though Milanovic was thought of the robust favorite, surveys urged that not one of the candidates would garner greater than 50 p.c of the vote wanted to win outright and keep away from a runoff in two weeks.
If the official outcomes, due in a while Sunday, verify Milanovic’s win within the first spherical, it could mark a severe blow to Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s HDZ. Among the many eight contenders, two girls MPs—centre-right MP Marija Selak Raspudic and green-left Ivana Kekin—adopted the 2 predominant rivals, the exit ballot confirmed. They gained round eight p.c of the vote every.
Throughout his five-year time period which expires on Feb. 18, Milanovic, a former prime minister, has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over overseas and public insurance policies, and has fiercely criticised the European Union and NATO over their help for Ukraine.
The president can’t veto legal guidelines, however has a say in overseas coverage, defence and safety issues.
Regardless of his populist rhetoric, Milanovic is seen by many as the one counterbalance to the HDZ-dominated authorities, which has seen 30 ministers pressured to depart lately amid allegations of corrupt practices.
With inputs from companies.
