President Zoran Milanovic, Croatia’s Socialist Democrats' candidate, narrowly missed out on an outright victory in Sunday's election, setting up a run-off in two weeks' time with conservative rival Dragan Primorac.
Official results showed incumbent Mr Milanovic won 49.1 per cent of the first round vote and Mr Primorac, backed by the ruling conservative HDZ party, took 19.35 per cent, according to results released by the state electoral commission from nearly all of the polling stations.
Mr Milanovic pledged to his supporters who gathered in Zagreb to "fight for Croatia with a clear stance, one that takes care of its interests".
Eight candidates from across the political spectrum stood in the election, with about 3.8 million Croats eligible to vote. Centre-right MP Marija Selak Raspudic and green-left MP Ivana Kekin followed the two main rivals, the exit poll showed. The two women each won around nine per cent of the vote.
On Sunday, Mr Primorac said establishing the big difference between himself and Mr Milanovic was a "challenge".
"In the first round there were... a lot of candidates, it was not easy to present the programme fully. Now it's a great opportunity that Milanovic and I be one on one... to see who represents what," Mr Primorac told his supporters in Zagreb.
The president commands the Balkan country's armed forces and has a say in foreign policy. But despite limited powers, many believe the office is key for the political balance of power in a country mainly governed by the HDZ since independence in 1991.
During his five-year term, which expires on February 18, Mr Milanovic, a former premier, has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policy.
Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has called Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing.
“The difference between him and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said.
Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and EU support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, although it is a member of both Nato and the EU.
Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war".
Mr Primorac said 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, Mr Primorac has sought to portray himself as a unifier and Mr Milanovic as divisive. And for many, the election is a continuation of the long-standing feud between two powerful politicians.
"This is still about the conflict between the prime minister and president," political analyst Zarko Puhovski told AFP. "All the rest are just incidental topics."
Mr Primorac, a 59-year-old scientist returning to politics after 15 years, campaigned as a "unifier" promoting family values and patriotism.
