Polls put Zoran Milanović at 39% of the vote (Image: Getty)
looks set to re-elect a popular president, often compared to for his populism and political outlook.
, a former prime minister, has been the president of since 2020 and is . Like Trump, he has campaigned heavily on an anti-immigration platform.
Voting intentions ahead of today’s election put Milanović in the lead with 39% of the vote ahead of Dragan Primorac, the candidate from Plenković’s Christian Democratic Union (HDZ) on just 24%.
If true, Milanović will assume the largely ceremonial role of president but will be able to continue to be a disruptive figure for Prime Minister Andrej Plenković with whom he has been embroiled in a war of words.
Milanović has described his rival Plenković as a “dictator” who he accuses of corruption following a series of scandals which have seen more than 30 ministers fired or forced to resign following a series of scandals.
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Zoran Milanović casts his vote in today’s election in which he is the favourite (Image: Getty)
He has also mocked PM for his pro-EU stance, labelling him as “ errand boy” and claiming that he is “remote-controlled by Brussels.”
Plenković has not taken the criticism lying down and has urged voters to back Primorac in an attempt to shape the election into a vote on closer ties with the .
The Prime Minister said: “Milanović is a cancer of Croatian politics, the difference between him and Milanović is quite simple. Milanović is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West.”
As has been seen in the , Plenković and Milanović have ben deeply divided on the country’s approach to
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Incumbent Prime Minister is pro-EU, putting him in opposition with President Milanović (Image: Getty)
Milanović, who is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), has spoken out against western-imposed sanctions on and blocked the participation of Croatian soldiers in mission to support in October.
The vote will be held today but it is highly unlikely that either candidate will win an outright majority of the vote.
In that instance, there will be a second run off in January where it is expected that Milanović and Primorac will face each other.
Ivan Grdešić, a professor of political science at Libertas International University says that Primorac is not charismatic enough to challenge Milanović despite the backing of the incumbent Prime Minister.
He said: “Primorac is not charismatic enough to “have a larger appeal to people, I think he is just a little bit too sophisticated in some of his debates.”