Croatia's presidential elections: the pro-Russian candidate won the first round, with a second round anticipated.

The current president of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, won the first round of the presidential elections held on December 29. The second round is scheduled for January 12.

This was reported by RBK-Ukraine citing N1info.

According to the count of 100% of ballots, Milanović received 49.09% of the votes.

His closest rival, Dragan Primorac, a former minister of science and candidate from the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, received 19.35%.

Since none of the candidates secured more than 50% of the votes, a second round will take place on January 12.

Milanović, commenting on the results, expressed his intention to "fight for Croatia" and continue to uphold his positions.

What is known about Milanović

The presidency in Croatia is largely ceremonial. However, the head of state has influence over foreign policy and security matters.

It is in these areas that Milanović has made headlines with controversial statements often at odds with EU and NATO positions.

In particular, he has repeatedly expressed support for Russian policies and criticized military assistance to Ukraine.

Zoran Milanović has been serving as the president of Croatia since February 19, 2020. Previously, he was the country's prime minister from 2011 to 2016 and led the Social Democratic Party of Croatia.

In October, Milanović blocked Croatian military participation in a NATO program to support Ukraine, calling the decision "potentially dangerous" to national interests.

Additionally, it should be noted that exit polls predicted Milanović's victory in the first round.