Zoran Milanović

Former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic won the presidential election in Croatia, according to official results based on counted ballots from almost all polling stations.

Milanovic receives 52.73% of the vote. 47,267 percent voted in favour of Milanovic, outpacing Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic, Croatia's now former president.

Zoran Milanovic won the second round of the presidential election in Croatia on Sunday, according to preliminary results, after nearly 100 per cent of votes were counted.

The Social Democratic candidate and former prime minister took 52.70 per cent of the votes, comfortably beating his centre-right rival, incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who won 47.30 per cent.

Croatian citizens on Sunday vote in the second round of the presidential election, which pits the incumbent conservative, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, against the Social Democratic former prime minister Zoran Milanovic.

The Croatian presidential election race, which ends on Sunday, has been hit by controversy after a far-right singer, a far-right politician and a woman who helped hijack an American passenger plane all backed the incumbent conservative, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, against her rival, Social Democratic former prime minister Zoran Milanovic.

Croatian political experts said the results of Sunday's first round of presidential elections in were predictable and in line with surveys conducted before the election.

"What happened was what we expected and what I predicted," political analyst Zarko Puhovski told BIRN on Monday.

Miroslav Skoro won the most votes in Osijek.
Croatian media and analysts have estimated that whoever "wins" Zagreb will also be Croatia's new president, with Milanovic winning 33.33 percent of votes in Zagreb, followed by Miroslav Skoro with 23.37, and the third was Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic with 20.14 percent of the vote.

Croatia's next president will be elected in a second round of voting on Jan. 5, according to the unofficial results of the State Election Commission (DIP) on Dec. 23.

No candidate passed the 50 percent threshold after nearly all of the votes were counted in the election, in which 11 candidates competed.

Preliminary results of Croatia's presidential election on Sunday, after nearly 100 per cent of votes were counted, put Social Democratic candidate and former prime minister Zoran Milanovic in the lead with 29.55 per cent of votes cast.

Croatian citizens on Sunday vote in a presidential election whose outcome is hard to predict, given the strong polling of the top three candidates.

Social Media Jihadis

Security experts across Europe are mulling the potential risks and consequences of the return of jihadi fighters from the (now defeated) 'Islamic State'. In some corners of the Balkans, and indeed the wider continent, there are fears that their return might lead to greater radicalisation and (in)security problems at home.