According to the state television channel, the president would grab nearly 78 percent of the votes.
The sitting president of Croatia Zoran Milanović is about to win the country’s presidential election overwhelmingly, according to door-to-door polls.
According to the state television channel HRT, Milanović, who represents the Social Democrats, would get almost 78 percent of the votes. His challenger, Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the conservative HDZ party that rules the country, would get a good 22 percent.
In the first round held two weeks ago, Milanović’s vote share was barely less than half of what he would have been elected without a second round. Milanović received 49.1 percent of the votes in the first round.
At that time, just under 20 percent of votes were accumulated for Primorac.
Milanović’s victory is a heavy blow to the scandal-ridden HDZ, which has been the country’s ruling party for years. The Social Democrats are in the opposition.
As in the previous round, the election authorities anticipate that the turnout will remain quite low on Sunday as well. During the first four hours, less than a fifth of eligible voters went to the ballot box.
The candidates focused on slandering each other
The election campaign was lackluster in terms of substantive issues, as the leading candidates mainly focused on insulting each other. Among other things, Milanović has described Primorac as a bore that “is as genuine as a 13 euro bill”.
The 58-year-old Milanović has served as president since 2020. He is a former amateur boxer and diplomat.
The 59-year-old Primorac, on the other hand, has made a return to politics after a 15-year break. Known as a doctor and researcher, Primorac has worked outside of politics, for example, as a lecturer at universities.
The role of the president in Croatia is mainly ceremonial.