Croatian President Zoran Milanović appears to be like to have gained a commanding victory within the runoff spherical of his nation’s presidential election Sunday, in line with exit polls.
Milanović stays Croatia’s hottest politician, his historical past of pro-Moscow and anti-Western statements contrasting along with his having overseen the nation’s 2013 accession to the European Union as its then-prime minister. He beforehand gained the presidency in 2020 with the assist of Croatia’s predominant opposition Social Democratic Occasion.
In response to exit polls, Milanović is ready to defeat his opponent, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, by a margin of 77.9 p.c to 22.1 p.c. He has lengthy been the favourite to win the vote, coming simply shy of an outright majority (on 49.1 p.c) within the Dec. 29 first spherical.
Plenković, backed by the governing center-right HDZ get together, was weakened by a November corruption case implicating a former well being minister in his cupboard, Vili Beros. The dispute introduced Plenković’s authorities into battle with the European Public Prosecutor’s Workplace, which accused Zagreb of stopping it from investigating systemic graft.
Croatia, which has been dominated by Plenković’s HZD since 1991, had the third-highest inflation fee within the eurozone in November and is battling a labor scarcity.
