Croatia Elects New President

Croats are to vote Sunday to elect new president in 6866 polling sections, including 250 abroad. Photo by www.liberal-international.org

People in Croatia are voting Sunday to elect a new President since Stipe Mesic’s will step down in February.

Mesic’s second five-year term expires at the end of the year. 12 candidates are running for the post while latest opinion polls give the opposition Social Democrat (SDP) leader Ivo Josipovic the lead. He is closely followed by the independent mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandic, and wealthy businessman and head of the Chamber of Commerce, Nadan Vidosevic.

None of the candidates is expected to get the 50% plus one vote needed to avoid a second round on January 10.

Elections are marked by economic and corruption concerns and ambitions to join the EU. Croatia joined NATO in April, but EU membership has been delayed by a border dispute with Slovenia dating back to the break-up of Yugoslavia.

Croats are to vote in 6866 polling sections, including 250 abroad. The sections are in 55 countries but over half of them are in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina over a large Croat population there.

Voting closes at 7 pm with official results expected by the end of the day.

The Sunday elections are the fifth in the country after Croatia declared its independence from Yugoslavia.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!