Croatia To Vote After Insult-filled Presidential Race

Zagreb, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Dec, 2024) Croatians will vote Sunday in the Balkan country's presidential election, with opinion polls widely predicting the outspoken incumbent Zoran Milanovic will win after a bruising campaign.

His main challenge is likely to come from the ruling HDZ party's Dragan Primorac, who Milanovic has ridiculed as dull and as "fake as a 13-euro note".

With the two main contenders often trading insults, analysts say none of the eight candidates are likely to win the 50 percent of votes to win outright, which would set up a runoff on January 12.

The election comes as the European Union member country struggles with biting inflation, widespread corruption and a labour shortage.

- 'Duel between President and PM' -

Milanovic, 58, has been one of Croatia's leading and most colourful political figures for nearly two decades, known for his sharp wit and sometimes bombastic statements.

He took the presidency -- which is largely ceremonial -- for the opposition Social Democrats (SDP)in 2020 on a platform promising to promote tolerance and liberalism.

But after taking office, Milanovic used the office to take aim at political opponents and EU officials, often with offensive language.

For many, the election is a continuation of his feud with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

"It is a duel between the prime minister and president, which is a constant of Croatia's politics for the past decade," political analyst Tihomir Cipek told AFP.

Milanovic has denounced the EU's stance on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, prompting Plenkovic to accuse him of holding "pro-Russian views" and "destroying Croatia's credibility in NATO and the EU".

Milanovic has fired back saying he has worked to protect Croatia's interests and prevent the country from being "dragged into war".

He regularly pans Plenkovic and his HDZ party over systemic corruption, calling the premier a "serious threat to Croatia's democracy".

The HDZ's candidate Primorac has largely promoted family values and patriotism during his campaign, while promising to be a "president who unites".

"These are elections for the future of our homeland which has been disgraced by the president's actions," he told a recent rally.

"We have a president who holds nothing sacred. Neither the homeland nor the work, he wakes up at 11:30 am ... and likes to bicker," he added.

Milanovic retorted by saying Primorac was as "fake as a 13-euro note and boring as a friendly (football) match".

- 'Quarrels' -

While the president's powers are limited, many Croatians believe the office can tip the country's political balance of power.

"Powers are minimal but even so the president can do a lot, it has to be someone truly worthy, with knowledge, which Milanovic is," retired diplomat Davor Faget told AFP.

But Denis Novosel, a 30-year-old engineer living in Zagreb said he plans to vote for Primorac, because the "current president is not really at the level at which a president should be".

Other voters have expressed frustration with the contest, saying it has centred more on name calling than policy debates.

"Everything is based on quarrels rather than on constructive proposals and programmes," designer Katarina Kozul Baranovic told AFP, saying she planned to vote for the "lesser evil".

Young Croatians have not been generally enthused by the race as they struggle to find affordable housing, stable jobs and sufficient income to have a family.

"Maybe that's why they decide not to vote, because they look at it in a fatalistic way," said Iva Jurisic, an 18-year-old student.

"We don't have much to look forward to."