Croatian presidential election heads to 2nd round

According to unofficial results announced by the State Electoral Commission (DIP), 99.67% of the votes have been counted.

Although exit polls initially showed Milanovic with more than 50% of the vote, the yet-to-be-finalized results indicate he secured 49.1%.

His opponent in the second round will be Dragan Primorac, the candidate of the ruling center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and former education minister, who received 19.4% of the vote.

While the SDP experienced both joy and disappointment, HDZ representatives acknowledged that they did not expect such a significant gap but emphasized that the second round represents a fresh start.

If the results are confirmed, Milanovic and Primorac will face off in a run-off on Jan. 12.