Croatia’s opposition-backed and incumbent president known for his outspoken criticism of the European Union and NATO, Zoran Milanović, secured a landslide victory on Sunday to earn a second five-year term.
The official results, with over 99% of ballots counted, showed Milanović garnering more than 74% of the vote, defeating his conservative rival, Dragan Primorac, who managed nearly 26%.
This decisive win strengthens Milanović’s position as one of Croatia’s most influential politicians.
A staunch critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, Milanović has often clashed with conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and his reelection signals continued tension between the two leaders.
In his victory speech, Milanović framed the results as a message to those in power.
“I am asking them (the government) to hear it,” he said. “That is what the citizens wanted to say. This is not just support for me.”
Milanović, 58, has built a reputation for his combative communication style, earning comparisons to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.
His victory comes after a strong showing in the first round of voting on December 29, where he led by a wide margin but fell just short of the 50% needed for an outright win.
The runoff became necessary when he missed the threshold by only 5,000 votes, with Primorac trailing far behind at 19%.
Held amid widespread economic challenges, including inflation, corruption scandals, and a labor shortage, the election highlighted dissatisfaction with the ruling Croatian Democratic Union.
Milanović seized the opportunity to criticize the EU’s governance, calling it “in many ways non-democratic” and dominated by unelected officials. He described the EU’s stance as akin to “mental violence,” adding, “That’s not the modern Europe I want to live and work in. I will work on changing it, as much as I can as the president of a small nation.”
Despite his role being largely ceremonial, Milanović wields considerable influence as Croatia’s president and supreme military commander.
He has frequently accused Plenković’s government of systemic corruption, while Plenković has countered by branding Milanović as “pro-Russian” and detrimental to Croatia’s international reputation.
Milanović, however, denies any pro-Russian leanings. In 2024, he blocked the deployment of Croatian officers to NATO’s mission in Germany supporting Ukraine and vowed not to approve any future involvement of Croatian soldiers in NATO missions to Ukraine.
Political analyst Višeslav Raos noted that Milanović is unlikely to temper his rhetoric or seek cooperation with Plenković, given the lack of collaboration during his first term.
“If there was no cooperation with the prime minister for the first five years, why would there be now?” Raos observed.
Primorac, a 59-year-old forensic scientist and former science and education minister, returned to politics after years of focusing on academia.
However, his candidacy failed to gain significant traction against Milanović, whose popularity remains unmatched in the country of 3.8 million people.
