According to exit polls, Croatian President Zoran Milanović achieved a decisive victory in Sunday’s second round of the presidential elections. Milanović remains the most popular politician in Croatia, despite his history of pro-Moscow and anti-Western remarks, which contrasts with his role in overseeing Croatia’s accession to the European Union in 2013 as Prime Minister. He first won the presidency in 2020 with the backing of the main Croatian opposition party, the Social Democratic Party.
Polls indicate that Milanović defeated his opponent, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, by a wide margin, securing 77.9% of the vote compared to Plenković’s 22.1%. Milanović had long been the favorite to win, nearly clinching victory in the first round on December 29, when he garnered 49.1% of the vote.
Plenković, supported by the ruling center-right HDZ party, was weakened by a November corruption scandal involving former Health Minister Vili Beros, who served in his cabinet. The controversy also brought Plenković’s government into conflict with the EU.
