ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) 鈥� Croatia’s opposition-backed President Zoran Milanovi膰, a critic of the European Union and NATO, overwhelmingly won reelection for another five-year term on Sunday, defeating a candidate from the ruling conservative party in a runoff vote, official results showed.
Milanovi膰 won more than 74% of the vote compared to his challenger Dragan Primorac, who received nearly 26%, according to the results released by Croatia’s state election authorities after more than 99% of the ballots were counted.
The result presents a major boost for Milanovi膰, who is a critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. Milanovi膰 is also a fierce opponent of Croatia’s conservative Prime Minister Andrej 笔濒别苍办辞惫颈膰 and his government.
In a speech after the results were released, Milanovi膰 said his victory was a sign of approval and trust from the voters but also presented a message 鈥渁bout the state of affairs in the country for those who need to hear it.鈥�
鈥淚 am asking them (the government) to hear it,” said Milanovic. 鈥淭hat is what the citizens wanted to say. This is not just support for me.鈥�
Milanovi膰, 58, is the most popular politician in Croatia, and is sometimes compared to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents.
His triumph sets the stage for a continued political confrontation with PM 笔濒别苍办辞惫颈膰, with whom he sparred during his first term.
Milanovi膰 also won comfortably in the first round of voting on Dec. 29, leaving Primorac, a forensic scientist who had unsuccessfully run for president previously, and six other candidates far behind.
The runoff between the top two contenders was necessary because Milanovi膰 fell short of securing 50% of the vote by just 5,000 votes, while Primorac trailed far behind with 19%.
The election was held as Croatia, which has a population of 3.8 million, struggles with biting inflation, corruption scandals and a labor shortage.
Upon voting on Sunday, Milanovi膰 again criticized the EU as 鈥渋n many ways non-democratic” and run by unelected officials. The EU position that 鈥渋f you don鈥檛 think the same as I do, then you鈥檙e the enemy鈥� amounts to 鈥渕ental violence,鈥� Milanovi膰 said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 not the modern Europe I want to live and work in,鈥� he said. “I will work on changing it, as much as I can as the president of a small nation.鈥�
Milanovi膰 served as prime minister in the past with a mixed record.
He regularly accuses 笔濒别苍办辞惫颈膰 and his conservative HDZ of systemic corruption, while 笔濒别苍办辞惫颈膰 has labeled Milanovi膰 鈥減ro-Russian鈥� and a threat to Croatia鈥檚 international standing.
Political analyst Vi拧eslav Raos said the increasingly outspoken Milanovi膰 has no motive to 鈥渢ry to please someone or try to control himself.鈥�
鈥淚f there was no cooperation with the prime minister for the first five years (of his presidency), why would there be now?鈥� he said.
Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander.
Milanovi膰 denied he is pro-Russian but last year, he blocked the dispatch of five Croatian officers to NATO鈥檚 mission in Germany called Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine. He also pledged he would never approve sending Croatian soldiers as part of any NATO mission to Ukraine. 笔濒别苍办辞惫颈膰 and his government say there is no such proposal.
Despite limited powers, many believe the presidential position is key for the political balance of power in a country mainly governed by the Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, since gaining independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Primorac, 59, entered politics in the early 2000s, when he was science and education minister in the HDZ-led government. He unsuccessfully ran for the presidency in 2009, and after that mainly focused on his academic career including lecturing at universities in the United States, China and in Croatia.
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Associated Press writers Du拧an Stojanovi膰 and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.
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