Milanovic enters the contest with surging momentum as he faces off with Dragan Primorac, supported by the HDZ party that governs Croatia.
Primorac garnered less than 20 percent of the ballots, making it unlikely that he could make up ground in the runoff.
– ‘Counterbalance’ –Although Croatia’s presidential powers are limited, many believe the post is key to maintaining a political balance in the country.
Milanovic regularly pans the HDZ over the party’s perennial problems with corruption, while also referring to Plenkovic as “Brussels’ clerk”.
Primorac has repeatedly accused Milanovic of being a “pro-Russian puppet” who has undermined Croatia’s credibility in NATO and the European Union.

Croatia’s populist president appears set for re-election