Nato critic Zoran Milanovic received 49% of the vote in the first round and is expected to win the runoff.

Croats are voting in a presidential runoff in which incumbent Zoran Milanovic is expected to win a second term, a blow to the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party that backs his rival.

Polling stations opened at 7am local time (06:00 GMT) on Sunday and closed around 7pm (18:00 GMT), with exit voting expected a few minutes later.

Milanovich, an outspoken critic of the West’s military support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, narrowly missed an outright victory by winning 49.1% of the vote in the first round of the election two weeks ago.

The 58-year-old leader entered the election with strong momentum against Dragan Primorac, who received 19.35% of the vote. Primolak, 59, is backed by the HDZ party, which has ruled the former Yugoslav republic since it declared independence in 1991.

this election It comes as the EU and NATO member of 3.8 million people battles severe inflation, corruption scandals and labor shortages.

divisive politics

Former left-wing Prime Minister Milanovic took over as president in 2020 with the support of the main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP).

Milanovich condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but also criticized Western military support for Kiev. His main rivals have called him a “pro-Russian puppet”.

He is popular and is sometimes compared to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his combative style with political opponents.

The 58-year-old prime minister has been a strong critic of current Prime Minister Andrei Plenkovic, with whom he has a long-standing feud.

The current president has frequently accused Plenkovic and his conservative HDZ party of systemic corruption, saying the prime minister “poses a serious threat to Croatian democracy.”

The Croatian president has limited powers, but Milanovic’s victory would be a setback for the Croatian Democratic Union and Prime Minister Plenkovic.

ceremonial position

The elected president holds political power and serves as the top military commander. Many consider the presidency crucial to the balance of political power.

Primolak entered politics in the early 2000s, when he was science and education minister in the HDZ-led government. He ran unsuccessfully for president in 2009 and has since focused primarily on an academic career, including teaching at universities in the United States, China and Croatia.

Milanovic denies being pro-Russian but last year blocked the dispatch of five Croatian officers to a NATO mission in Germany called “Security Assistance and Training in Ukraine.”

He also promised that he would never approve the sending of Croatian soldiers as part of any NATO mission to Ukraine. Plenkovic and his government say there is no such proposal.

Milanovich accused Primorak of having ties to “mass murderers,” referring to associates of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Gaza war.