Incumbent President Zoran Milanovic, recognized for his important stance towards the EU and NATO and his opposition to Western help to Ukraine amid the battle with Russia, has secured a second time period in Croatia.
In Sunday’s presidential runoff, Milanovic garnered 74.68% of the vote, decisively defeating his rival from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Dragan Primorac, the nation’s State Election Fee stated on Monday after 100% of the votes had been counted.
Roughly 45% of about 3.5 million registered voters participated within the election, as reported by the fee.
In his victory speech, Milanovic interpreted his re-election as an endorsement of his efficiency over the previous 5 years.
“It is a plebiscite message from the Croatian individuals to all those that ought to listen to it, and I ask that they hear,” he said, seemingly addressing the HDZ authorities.
Whereas Croatia’s authorities holds legislative, government, and judicial powers, the president’s function is essentially ceremonial, though he serves because the supreme navy commander.
Milanovic emphasised that in his second time period, he intends to be “an equal participant in issues of international coverage… In issues of protection and safety, I’ll function the Commander-in-Chief—not as an equal, however because the highest-ranking authority—as a result of that’s what the Structure stipulates.”
The 58-year-old almost secured victory within the first spherical of voting in December, lacking the required 50% threshold by lower than 1%.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic had beforehand labeled Milanovic as “pro-Russian,” referring to him as Russian President Vladimir “Putin’s poodle” and suggesting he posed a risk to Croatia’s democracy and worldwide standing attributable to his views.
Milanovic refuted these accusations, asserting that his major concern was to forestall Croatia from turning into entangled within the Ukraine battle.
Because the escalation between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, the Croatian authorities has supplied Ukraine with €300 million (round $306 million) in navy help, together with deliveries of tanks and infantry preventing autos.
Milanovic has constantly criticized Zagreb’s assist for Ukraine, describing the battle as a NATO proxy warfare in opposition to Russia. Final 12 months, he exercised his presidential authority to dam the deployment of 5 Croatian officers to the NATO mission in Germany. He additionally pledged by no means to approve sending Croatian troopers to Ukraine as a part of any NATO mission, ought to such a scenario come up.
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