Croats vote in presidential elections with the president leading the polls

Croats will vote to elect a new president this Sunday in a race that has current president Zoran Milanovic leading in the polls.

Around 3.8 million Croatians can vote for one of eight candidates, three of whom are women, who range from the left to the right of the political spectrum. The office of president is largely ceremonial in Croatia.

Polling stations close at 6pm GMT (3pm Brasilia time) and exit polls are due a few minutes later. The preliminary results will be known around 7pm (4pm in Brasilia).

Milanovic, candidate of the opposition Democratic Socialists, is running for a second term. His main opponent is Dragan Primorac, a former science minister supported by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

Milanovic conducted opinion polls before and after the election campaign. The latest poll published on Friday by Nova TV Daily News shows Milanovic with 37.2% support against Primorac’s 20.4%.

Then there are two women: the independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudic and Ivana Kekin from the left-wing green party We Can! (Mozemo) – who received around 10% support each.

During his five-year term, which expires Feb. 18, Milanovic, a former prime minister, clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over public and foreign policy, and fiercely criticized the European Union and NATO for their support for Ukraine.

The president cannot veto laws, but has an active say in foreign policy, defense and security matters.

Despite his populist rhetoric, Milanovic is seen by many as the only counterweight to the ruling HDZ government, which has seen 30 ministers forced from their posts in recent years due to allegations of corrupt practices.

Source: Terra

Rose

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