Croatian President and presidential candidate Zoran Milanovic votes at a polling station during the presidential election, in Zagreb, Croatia, on Dec. 29, 2024.
Antonio Bronic | Reuters
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic is on track for a landslide victory that will secure him a second term in the largely ceremonial post, an exit poll showed.
Milanovic of the opposition Social Democratic Party is on track to win Sunday’s presidential election with 77.86% of votes, according to the exit poll on state-run HRT television.
Dragan Primorac of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) won 22.14%, the exit poll showed.
Around 3.8 million people in the NATO and European Union member voted in Sunday’s second round. The state election commission said turnout by 4.30 p.m. (1730 GMT) was 34.77%.
Following the exit poll announcement Milanovic wrote “Thank you” on his Facebook profile.
Earlier in the day, after casting his ballot in the capital Zagreb, Milanovic told reporters: “In the past five years I did my job in the best faith and I hope that people have seen that.”
The Croatian head of state cannot veto laws but has a say in foreign policy, defence and security matters.
During his term, Milanovic, a populist former prime minister, has confronted Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policies, with the two frequently trading insults.