Zagreb [Croatia], January 13 : Croatia's incumbent President, Zoran Milanovic, a vocal critic of the European Union and NATO, has won a second term in a runoff vote on Sunday (local time), defeating a candidate from the ruling conservative HDZ party, according to near-complete official results, Euronews reported.
According to Euronews, Milanovic, who garnered 74.6 per cent of the vote, beat his challenger Dragan Primorac, who received around 25.3 per cent. The final results were released after more than 99 per cent of ballots were counted by Croatia's state election authorities.
At 58 years old, Milanovic is a prominent figure in Croatia and has gained recognition for his outspoken opposition to Western military support for Ukraine and is often compared to US President-elect Donald Trump for his confrontational communication style with political adversaries, Euronews reported.
In his victory speech, Milanovic once again criticised the European Union, describing it as "non-democratic in many ways" and led by unelected officials. He expressed frustration with the EU's stance that dissenting opinions are considered "enemies," calling it a form of "mental violence."
Milanovic also vowed to work towards changing the EU's direction, saying, "That's not the modern Europe I want to live and work in," as quoted by Euronews.
According to Euronews, his victory sets the stage for continued political tensions with Croatia's Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, with whom Milanovic has had a contentious relationship throughout his first term.
Milanovic's re-election makes him only the third Croatian president in history to win a second term, joining former Presidents Franjo Tudman and Stjepan Mesic. While the Croatian presidency is largely ceremonial, the president holds significant political power and serves as the country's supreme military commander.
However, the prime minister, not the president, represents Croatia in Brussels on the European Council.
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