Croatians go to the polls on Sunday to vote for their next president, an important role which permits a say in foreign policy and intelligence but
ADVERTISEMENT
Croatians go to the polls on Sunday to vote for their next president, an important role which permits a say in foreign policy and intelligence but that does not permit veto powers. The head of state is also the head of the armed forces.
The current leader of the EU’s newest member is Ivo Josipovic. He is supported by the ruling Social Democrats and is seen as the frontrunner.
Josipovic’s main rival is Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic from the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).
She is a former foreign minister, ambassador to Washington and NATO official.
The other two candidates are:
Milan Kujundzic, the founder and president of the right-wing populist Croatian Dawn non-parliamentary party and Ivan Vilibor Sincic, a eurosceptic who was nominated by an activist organisation called Zivi Zid, which fights to prevent evictions.
The main concerns for Croatians are the country’s economy and the high unemployment rate. The former Yugoslav republic has been in a recession for the past six years.