by croatiaweek
January 9, 2025
in
Zoran MilanoviÄ and Dragan Primorac (Photo credit: HINA/ POOL/ Damir SENÄAR)
Croatians will head to the polls on Sunday, 12 January, for the second round of the presidential elections, where incumbent Zoran MilanoviÄ will face off against Dragan Primorac in the runoff.
In the first round, held in December, MilanoviÄ came close to securing an outright victory, earning 49.11% of the voteājust 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 MilanoviÄ and Primorac marks the largest gap between runoff contenders in Croatiaās history.
According to the latest poll conducted by RTL, MilanoviÄ is expected to dominate the runoff with 62.5% of the vote, compared to Primoracās 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 MilanoviÄ 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.
Croatiaās presidency is a five-year term, with a maximum of two terms permitted. MilanoviÄ, who is seeking re-election, remains the clear favourite as the nation awaits Sundayās decision.