Croatian Presidential Election: Final polls confirm clear front-runner
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Zoran Milanović and Dragan Primorac (Photo credit: HINA/ POOL/ Damir SENČAR)
Croatians will head to the polls on Sunday, 12 January, for the second round of the presidential elections, where incumbent Zoran Milanović will face off against Dragan Primorac in the runoff.
In the first round, held in December, Milanović came close to securing an outright victory, earning 49.11% of the vote—just shy of the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
His closest competitor, Primorac, received 19.36%, while the remaining six candidates each received less than 10%.
The 30-point margin between Milanović and Primorac marks the largest gap between runoff contenders in Croatia’s history.
According to the latest poll conducted by RTL, Milanović is expected to dominate the runoff with 62.5% of the vote, compared to Primorac’s 27.8%.
Additionally, 6.8% of voters remain undecided, and 2.9% have indicated they plan to spoil their ballots.
The poll reflects a shift since last month, with Milanović gaining eight percentage points and Primorac losing seven.
The final debate between the two candidates, broadcast live on HRT on Tuesday evening, drew the largest television audience of any programme across all networks in Croatia.
Croatia’s presidency is a five-year term, with a maximum of two terms permitted. Milanović, who is seeking re-election, remains the clear favourite as the nation awaits Sunday’s decision.
