Voting in presidential elections began on Sunday across Croatia, with 12 candidates vying for the job of helping the former Yugoslav nation over the last hurdles to European Union membership. The most recent polls indicate that even Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic, who has a clear edge over the other candidates, will not be able to secure the 50 percent of votes needed to for an outright victory. Josipovic will likely face either Milan Bandic, the mayor of Zagreb who was recently expelled from the Social Democrats, or Nadan Vidosevic, a businessman and former member of the ruling party, the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in a January 10 runoff.Law professor and composer Josipovic has an untarnished political career but is seen as lacking charisma. He has pledged to support Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's recent drive to fight corruption in the country. However, while the Croatian president has a limited say in foreign policy, security and defense, the post is largely ceremonial with no power to veto legislation. The issues dominating the elections are the country's widespread corruption and its recovery from the the global economic crisis.
Voting in presidential elections began on Sunday across Croatia, with 12 candidates vying for the job of helping the former Yugoslav nation over the last hurdles to European Union membership.
The most recent polls indicate that even Social Democrat Ivo Josipovic, who has a clear edge over the other candidates, will not be able to secure the 50 percent of votes needed to for an outright victory. Josipovic will likely face either Milan Bandic, the mayor of Zagreb who was recently expelled from the Social Democrats, or Nadan Vidosevic, a businessman and former member of the ruling party, the conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in a January 10 runoff.
Law professor and composer Josipovic has an untarnished political career but is seen as lacking charisma. He has pledged to support Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor's recent drive to fight corruption in the country. However, while the Croatian president has a limited say in foreign policy, security and defense, the post is largely ceremonial with no power to veto legislation.
The issues dominating the elections are the country's widespread corruption and its recovery from the the global economic crisis.
KANDIDAT BROJ GLASOVA POSTOTAK 1. prof.dr.sc. IVO JOSIPOVIĆ SOCIJALDEMOKRATSKA PARTIJA HRVATSKE - SDP 640.549 32,42 % 2. MILAN BANDIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 293.045 14,83 % 3. prof.dr.sc. ANDRIJA HEBRANG HRVATSKA DEMOKRATSKA ZAJEDNICA - HDZ 237.982 12,05 % 4. NADAN VIDOŠEVIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 223.874 11,33 % 5. prof.dr.sc. VESNA PUSIĆ HRVATSKA NARODNA STRANKA - LIBERALNI DEMOKRATI - HNS 143.175 7,25 % 6. prof.dr.sc. DRAGAN PRIMORAC NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 117.145 5,93 % 7. prof.dr.sc. MIROSLAV TUĐMAN NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 80.775 4,09 % 8. DAMIR KAJIN ISTARSKI DEMOKRATSKI SABOR - IDS 76.405 3,87 % 9. JOSIP JURČEVIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 54.172 2,74 % 10. BORIS MIKŠIĆ NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 41.489 2,10 % 11. VESNA ŠKARE OŽBOLT NEZAVISNI KANDIDAT 37.369 1,89 % 12. SLAVKO VUKŠIĆ, ing. DEMOKRATSKA STRANKA SLAVONSKE RAVNICE - SLAVONSKA RAVNICA 8.308 0,42 %
I would appreciate if our Croatian-based posters would turn up with their personal view of the candidates; but from the little I read, Bandić is a crook, while I saw no negatives about Josipović other than being 'uncharismatic'. I was told earlier however that 5th-placed Vesna Pusić (liberal, and the better-placed of only two women) would be the only progressive candidate. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
