EU State’s Presidential Election Won by Landslide by Opponent of Ukraine Aid
President Zoran Milanovic secured re-election in Croatia, receiving over 74% of the votes. Read the full article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Zoran Milanovic has won a second term as President of Croatia, securing over 74% of the vote in the country’s presidential runoff.
In the election held on Sunday, Milanovic received 74.68% of the votes, decisively defeating Dragan Primorac, his opponent from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, according to the State Election Commission's announcement on Monday after all votes were tallied.
Voter turnout for the election was about 45% of the approximately 3.5 million registered voters.
Milanovic interpreted his victory as a validation of his leadership over the last five years. “It's a plebiscite message from the Croatian people to all those who ought to hear it, and I ask that they listen,” he remarked, seemingly directed at the HDZ government.
While Croatia’s government maintains legislative, executive, and judicial authority, the presidency is primarily ceremonial, with the president also serving as the supreme military commander.
In outlining his agenda for the second term, Milanovic expressed his intention to be “an equal participant in matters of foreign policy… In matters of defense and security, I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief—not as an equal, but as the highest-ranking authority—because that is what the Constitution stipulates.”
The 58-year-old nearly won outright in the first round of voting in December, falling short of the needed 50% threshold by less than 1%.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has previously branded Milanovic as “pro-Russian,” even calling him Putin’s “poodle” and implying that his views could jeopardize Croatia’s democracy and international reputation.
Milanovic has rejected these characterizations, maintaining that his main objective is to keep Croatia out of the Ukraine conflict.
Since the escalation of tensions between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, Croatia has provided Ukraine with €300 million in military aid, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
Milanovic has persistently criticized Croatia’s support for Ukraine, labeling the conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia. Last year, he used his presidential powers to block the deployment of Croatian officers to NATO's mission in Germany and vowed to never approve the dispatch of Croatian soldiers to Ukraine for any NATO operation, should such a scenario occur.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
In the election held on Sunday, Milanovic received 74.68% of the votes, decisively defeating Dragan Primorac, his opponent from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, according to the State Election Commission's announcement on Monday after all votes were tallied.
Voter turnout for the election was about 45% of the approximately 3.5 million registered voters.
Milanovic interpreted his victory as a validation of his leadership over the last five years. “It's a plebiscite message from the Croatian people to all those who ought to hear it, and I ask that they listen,” he remarked, seemingly directed at the HDZ government.
While Croatia’s government maintains legislative, executive, and judicial authority, the presidency is primarily ceremonial, with the president also serving as the supreme military commander.
In outlining his agenda for the second term, Milanovic expressed his intention to be “an equal participant in matters of foreign policy… In matters of defense and security, I will serve as the Commander-in-Chief—not as an equal, but as the highest-ranking authority—because that is what the Constitution stipulates.”
The 58-year-old nearly won outright in the first round of voting in December, falling short of the needed 50% threshold by less than 1%.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has previously branded Milanovic as “pro-Russian,” even calling him Putin’s “poodle” and implying that his views could jeopardize Croatia’s democracy and international reputation.
Milanovic has rejected these characterizations, maintaining that his main objective is to keep Croatia out of the Ukraine conflict.
Since the escalation of tensions between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, Croatia has provided Ukraine with €300 million in military aid, including tanks and infantry fighting vehicles.
Milanovic has persistently criticized Croatia’s support for Ukraine, labeling the conflict as a NATO proxy war against Russia. Last year, he used his presidential powers to block the deployment of Croatian officers to NATO's mission in Germany and vowed to never approve the dispatch of Croatian soldiers to Ukraine for any NATO operation, should such a scenario occur.
Jessica Kline for TROIB News
