Voters in Croatia will go to the polls on Sunday, December 29, where they will choose the head of state for the eighth time since the declaration of independence in 1992.
In the third election this year in Croatia – after the European and parliamentary elections, more than 3.7 million citizens choose between eight candidates for president.
The main election battle will be between President Zoran Milanović, candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and partners, and independent Dragan Primorac, who is supported by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and partners.
Miro Bulj (Most), Ivana Kekin (Možemo), Branka Lozo (Home and National Gathering) and independents Marija Selak Raspudić, Tomislav Jonjić and Niko Tokić Kartelo will also be on the ballot.
Milanović won the elections five years ago as a leftist and Esdepe.
At the end of his mandate, the public often called him a “left-wing rightist” and a “populist” because of his criticism of the European Union and NATO, his attitude towards the war in Ukraine and right-wingers like Viktor Orban and Milorad Dodik, and his anti-vaxxer views in the COVID pandemic.
“The president for the president” is Milanović’s slogan, which was used 27 years ago by Franjo Tuđman, the first president of independent Croatia.
Behind Primorc, an expert in molecular biology and genetics, stands the HDZ of Andrej Plenković. He is no stranger to politics and the HDZ. He was a minister in the government of Ivo Sanader (HDZ) (from 2003 to 2008).
The campaign of the native of Banja Luka was mainly led by the HDZ with the slogan “For a new president who unites”.
– Two round elections –
Presidential elections in Croatia are direct and two-round and are held every five years.
In order to be elected president, a candidate must win 50 percent plus one vote in the first round. If this does not happen, the two candidates with the most votes go to the second round.
The winner of the second round of elections, which should be held on January 12, is considered the candidate who wins the most votes.
– Polling stations –
3,762,221 voters have the right to vote in the eighth presidential election. There are more than 92,000 fewer voters on the list than in the same elections in 2019.
On Sunday at seven o’clock, more than 6,600 polling stations will be opened in Croatia, and 105 in 38 countries, the most in Bosnia and Herzegovina (42) and Germany (17).
Election silence begins 24 hours before the opening of the polling stations, and remains silent until the polls close at 7 p.m.
– Seven election cycles, five presidents –
After declaring independence from the former SFRY, Croatia held seven presidential elections and elected five presidents.
Franjo Tuđman, the first president of independent Croatia, in 1992 and 1997, and Stjepan Mesić in 2000 and 2005. Ivo Josipović, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović and Zoran Milanović held one term each.
– The symbolism of the Square of St. Marko –
The newly elected president of Croatia should take office on February 18, 2025.
The presidential swearing-in ceremony is usually held on the Square of St. Marko in Zagreb.
The square was chosen because of its symbolism – it is surrounded by the buildings of the Croatian Parliament, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Constitutional Court and the Zagreb City Assembly. In the middle of the square is the church of the same name, in front of which the swearing-in ceremony takes place, AAwrites.
Photo: eGradjani
