ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s left-leaning president, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for reelection this weekend against an array of contenders, including the candidate backed by the conservative government.
President Zoran Milanović is seen as a favorite ahead of the presidential election on Sunday, though he is unlikely to score an outright victory. If none of the eight contenders gain more than half of the ballots cast in the first round, a runoff between the top two will be held on Jan. 12.
The most popular politician in Croatia, 58-year-old Milanović had served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, Milanovic has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and a continuous sparring of the two has lately marked Croatia's political scene.
Ahead of Sunday's vote, Plenković's Hrvatska Democratska Zajednica party, or Croatian Democratic Union party has backed pediatrician and university professor Dragan Primorac for the presidency. Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanovic as divisive.
Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military.
Milanović has criticized the European Union's support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both NATO and the EU.
Milanovic has also blocked Croatia's participation in a NATO-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “No Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war."
His main rival in the election, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia's place is in the West, not the East.” His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates.
Political expert Andjelko Milardović said Milanović’s reelection would be good for democracy in Croatia because the ruling party holds a tight grip over all other government institutions.
“We are interested to see a balance and control of power,” said Milardović.
Milanović is backed by center-left Social Democrats, the biggest opposition party.
Some analysts believe that Marija Selak Raspudić, a conservative independent candidate polling third in pre-election surveys, could stand a better chance against Milanovic if she somehow makes it to the runoff.
Selak Raspudić was close to a right-wing party in the past but now runs as non-partisan. She has focused on economic troubles of ordinary citizens and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million and corruption.
Trailing fourth in the polls is the only left-green contender in the race, Ivana Kekin, from Možemo, or We Can, party which governs Zagreb, Croatia's capital.
Married to a popular rock musician, Kekin says she is a “president for a new generation." As a psychiatrist, Kekin has accused Primorac and HDZ of syphoning money from Croatia's health system in shady corruption deals.
Four more candidates are running but none are believed to stand a chance to reach the second round.
Zagreb resident Ilka Matić said she expects Milanović to win another five-year mandate but that “there is little difference between them all.”
Croatia, the newest member state of the EU after joining the bloc in 2013, has around 1.6 million eligible voters.
