Croatia will vote in the second round of the presidential election tomorrow. While Milanovic appears ahead in the polls, Primorac is conducting propaganda against his opponent, particularly on foreign policy issues.
The people in Croatia will go to the polls again tomorrow to determine the president after neither candidate received an absolute majority in the first round of the presidential election. In the first round of elections held in the Balkan country of Croatia on December 29, 2024, incumbent President Zoran Milanovic, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), received 49.1 percent of the vote, while his opponent, Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), received 19.4 percent of the vote. While Milanovic appears to be ahead in the polls, Primorac is conducting propaganda against his opponent, especially on foreign policy issues. The two candidates often come up with opposing views on the Russia-Ukraine War and Israel’s attacks on Palestine, especially in their election speeches. Milanovic and Primorac came face to face on a television program they attended due to Israel’s attacks on Palestine. When asked whether Croatia should make preparations for a possible world war, Milanovic said, “Croatia does not need to make preparations. Our policy is peaceful, but we are cunning and calculating. We also have to help NATO members, and right now these members are Poland and Lithuania.” Primorac said that the Croatian army should be ready for every scenario. Milanovic also said to Primorac, “Primorac’s friends in Israel are Itamar Ben-Gvir (Israeli National Security Minister), the person who committed mass murder.” In response to Primorac’s statement that “you support Hamas,” Milanovic said, “I hate Hamas.” HE DOES NOT WANT SOLDIERS TO BE SENT TO UKRAINE Making a statement about the Ukraine-Russia War on his social media account during the election process, Milanovic stated that his country’s soldiers will not get involved in other people’s wars. Criticizing Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s preparations for changes in the defense law to send soldiers to Ukraine, Milanovic said, “The Prime Minister may want to prepare the ground for the Croatian army to be sent to Ukraine, but as long as I am the president of this country, Croatian soldiers will not get involved in other people’s wars. Plenkovic wants to take the Croatian army under his own control.” Primorac, on the other hand, described Milanovic as a “divisive” and himself as a “unifier”, arguing that his country should side with the West in terms of policy.
