(29 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zagreb, Croatia – 29 December 2024
1. Croatian Presidential candidate Dragan Primorac walking on stage, audience
2. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragan Primorac, Croatian presidential candidate:
"So far, Zoran Milanovic had a team that supported him, while he was watching things from the shadows. Now I am directly inviting him, from tomorrow morning – Zoran – come out, tell us about what you know, what is your program? And I will convince you all that my program is far better for the future of Croatia, my dear friends."
3. Crowd applauding
4. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Dragan Primorac, Croatian presidential candidate:
"12th of January is not only one day in the calendar, it’s a special day. It is a day when you all decide our country’s fate. Our country can’t tolerate divisions anymore, it can’t tolerate marginalisation in the world, it can’t tolerate conflicts anymore. Our country can’t tolerate a president that runs the country from the shadows with one political option, and a president that presides over just one political option and who is not the president of all Croatian citizens. That is the message to Zoran Milanovic tonight – Croatia needs change – my dear friends."
5. Primorac being greeted by supporters
STORYLINE:
Croatian presidential candidate Dragan Primorac pleaded with voters on Sunday to elect him in the country’s runoff presidential election after the incumbent president won most of the votes in the first round.
In a speech to supporters in Zagreb, Primorac said "our country can’t tolerate a president that runs the country from the shadows with one political option, and a president that presides over just one political option and who is not the president of all Croatian citizens."
He was speaking after vote counting on Sunday showed the left-leaning Milanovic had won 49% while Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%.
Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on Jan. 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote.
Milanovic is an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia.
He is often compared to Donald Trump for his combative style of communication with political opponents.
Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme military commander.
During campaigning, Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East.”
His presidency bid, however, has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and featured prominently in pre-election debates.
During the election campaign, Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Milanovic as divisive.
Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.
AP video by Almir Alic
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