Skip to main content

Croatia's Milanovic to win presidential vote, preliminary result shows

1 min Mena Today

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic won a second term in the largely ceremonial post, a preliminary result based on vote count in 98.65% of the polling stations showed.

A man votes at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Zagreb, Croatia, January 12, 2025. Reuters/Antonio Bronic

A man votes at a polling station during the second round of the presidential election in Zagreb, Croatia, January 12, 2025. Reuters/Antonio Bronic

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic won a second term in the largely ceremonial post, a preliminary result based on vote count in 98.65% of the polling stations showed.

Milanovic of the opposition Social Democratic Party was on track to win Sunday's presidential election with 74.58% of votes, according to the state election commission vote count.

Dragan Primorac of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 25.42%.

Turnout in the NATO and European Union member state was 44.15% of the voters, preliminary results showed.

"Croatia, thank you," Milanovic told his supporters.

"This is a big day for me personally, and I view this victory as recognition for my work, a kind of act of people's trust in me."

Earlier in the day, after casting his ballot in the capital Zagreb, Milanovic told reporters: "In the past five years I did my job in the best faith and I hope that people have seen that."

The Croatian head of state cannot veto laws but has a say in foreign policy, defence and security matters.

During his term, Milanovic, a populist former prime minister, has confronted Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policies, with the two frequently trading insults.

Reporting by Fedja Grulovic and Ivana Sekularac

Tags

Related

Politics

Conservative Merz elected German chancellor after initial debacle

German conservative leader Friedrich Merz was elected chancellor by parliament on Tuesday in a second round of voting after a humiliating and unprecedented defeat on the first attempt, getting his coalition government off to a weak start.

Politics

Trump orders the reopening of Alcatraz prison

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was directing the Federal Bureau of Prisons to rebuild and reopen the infamous Alcatraz prison in the San Francisco Bay to "house America’s most ruthless and violent Offenders."

Subscribe to our newsletter

Mena banner 4

To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.