Voters in Croatia re-elected Zoran Milanovic for a second term, after he received nearly three-quarters of the votes in the country's presidential elections.
The result was disappointing for his rival Dragan Primorac, who was supported by the ruling center-right Croatian Democratic Union party.
Primorac received 25% of the votes, the worst result ever for the most powerful political force in Croatia.
The result was met with a muted response from Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.
He refused to congratulate the winner and insisted that “Milanovic is offering nothing.”
Milanovic said he would “provide assistance” to the prime minister.
Presidents in Croatia play a largely ceremonial role, with the constitution insisting that they not be a political party figure, but rather serve as the head of state for all citizens.
Milanovic has been a frequent critic of the ruling party on issues including corruption, inflation and health care.
Although he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he has often criticized Western military support for Kiev.
before Become presidentMilanović was Prime Minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016, and led the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 2007 to 2016.
He briefly inserted himself into the country's parliamentary elections last year with his announcement He was going to run for prime ministerBefore the court ruled that this step was unconstitutional.
In response, he accused the judges of carrying out the orders of the Croatian Democratic Union – a “gangster clique”, as he put it.
The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has been the dominant party since Croatia gained independence more than 30 years ago.
