‘Croatia’s Trump’ wins first round of presidential election but now faces runoff

Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanović, a critic of NATO and the EU whose populism has earned comparisons to Donald Trump, won the first round of the country’s presidential ballot on Sunday with 49.1 percent support.

Runner-up Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, won 19.4 percent, according to the State Election Commission with 99.9 percent of precincts reporting.

With neither candidate winning an outright majority, Croatia will hold a runoff on Jan. 12.  

The results continue the split in the country’s top leadership. While the presidency is a largely ceremonial position, the reelection of Milanović — the most popular politician in the country — would be a thorn in the side of his archrival Plenković.

In a victory speech in Zagreb, Milanović vowed to promote “a Croatia with an attitude, a Croatia that takes care of its interests and is aware that only we care about what is happening in our country.”

Prime Minister Plenković, speaking after the results were declared, welcomed his party’s candidate making into into the second round. “From tomorrow is a new game, two new weeks,” he said.

“Milanović has no program,” he continued. “We do not want to be dragged toward Russia, we want Croatia to go in the right direction.”

During his campaign, President Milanović sought to capitalize on a series of scandals that have resulted in more than 30 ministers from the prime minister’s party resigning or being fired over corruption during Plenković’s mandate.

He also faulted Plenković for his pro-European stance, calling him the “errand boy” of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and cast immigration as Croatia’s top challenge.

Plenković, for his part, sought to portray the vote as a plebiscite on Croatia’s future in the EU.

“Milanović is a cancer of Croatian politics,” he said earlier this month, repeating that the president sought to draw Croatia toward Moscow.

But Ivan Grdešić, a professor of political science at Libertas International University in Zagreb, said geopolitics alone could not make up for Primorac’s liabilities — among them that he 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,” said Grdešić, who has served as Croatia’s ambassador to the U.K. and to the U.S.

Primorac was also burdened by yet another scandal, this one involving Health Minister Vili Beroš, who was arrested and fired after the European Public Prosecutor’s Office opened a corruption investigation in November.

“I hear many doubts from patients who are concerned by the fact that he is a candidate from the same political party as the fired minister,” said Jasna Karacic Zanetti, an ombudsman for patient rights in Croatia.

Milanović’s office declined POLITICO’s request for an interview, while Primorac did not reply.

Sunday’s presidential election was Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament election in June.

Ketrin Jochecová, Sebastian Starcevic and Hanne Cokelaere contributed to this report.