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GN39819EN

POLITICS

Croatia’s presidential contest heads to Jan. 5 runoff vote

December 23, 2019 - Former Croatian prime minister Zoran Milanovic will face incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in a run-off election on January 5 after no candidate won an outright majority in a first round of voting.

The vote was held just days before Croatia takes over the European Union’s presidency for the first time. The governing conservatives are hoping to keep their grip on power ahead of assuming the EU chairmanship.

Left-wing former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic led the field with nearly 30% of the votes in preliminary returns. President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic had almost 27%, the state election authorities said after counting almost all ballots.

Right-wing singer Miroslav Skoro was in third place with around 24%.

Some 3.8 million voters in the EU’s newest member country chose from among 11 candidates in Sunday's election, but only the top three finishers had been considered serious contenders.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 23/12/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Getty Images
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