Milanović triumphs in Croatian election, achieves historic win
The incumbent president, Zoran Milanović, has won the second round of the presidential elections in Croatia held on Sunday, securing 71.02 per cent of the votes, according to the State Electoral Commission (DIP) after counting votes from 25 per cent of the local electoral commissions.
Initial partial results published by the DIP indicate that Milanović obtained 154,422 votes, while the government-supported candidate, Dragan Primorac, garnered 63,027 votes, translating to 28.98 per cent support.
According to the latest commission data, 43.72 per cent of eligible Croatian voters participated in the election. Exit polls, published by Croatian media after the polling stations closed at 7:00 PM, showed Milanović, seeking re-election, with 77.86 per cent of the votes.
According to exit polls, Dragan Primorac, the candidate supported by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), received 22.14 per cent of the vote.
Presidential elections in Croatia: polls after the second round
Croatian media published pre-election polls on Thursday and Friday, predicting a decisive victory for the president. In the first round, he was just under one percent short of victory.
Earlier, the State Electoral Commission (DIP) of Croatia published turnout data, which by 4:30 PM stood at 34.77 percent. Polling stations closed at 7:00 PM.
If the results are confirmed by the DIP, Milanović will become the third president in Croatia's history to secure re-election. Achieving an official result similar to that indicated by exit polls, Milanović would be the president elected with the greatest support in the country's history.
Milanović likely to win the elections in Croatia
Milanović has already commented on the exit poll results, posting on his Facebook profile, "Thank you." Ivica Puljak, the mayor of Split who supports him, said: "They [the voters -ed.] really confirm what we already knew, that the message would be significant. Voters want Milanovic to remain president, but they have also shown that they no longer want the HDZ party."
Croatian Minister of Internal Affairs Davor Božinović explained that Primorac had been unanimously selected as the candidate. The approach was intended to convey a message of inclusivity, though the exit poll results indicated that it was unsuccessful.
Branko Bačić from the HDZ acknowledged in an interview with N1 television that the outcome turned out to be worse than anticipated.
