Croatia's presidential election right around the corner

24/12/2009

Polls show that the SDP's Ivo Josipovic is in the lead, but the outcome of Croatia's presidential election remains uncertain.

By Natasa Radic for Southeast European Times in Zagreb -- 24/12/09

Posters of presidential candidates in Split, Croatia. [Getty Images]

Croatia is ready to elect its third president since the country declared independence.

The first election round is scheduled for Sunday, December 27th. Should no candidate win a majority, a second round of voting will be held on January 10th.

There are 12 candidates vying for the position.

Kresimir Macan, a prominent political analyst, describes the campaign so far as "the most boring campaign ever, without any originality or political imagination", lacking a heated debate, but rehashing topics of interest to individual candidates.

One key campaign issue, however, is the economic downturn.

According to the latest polls, the Social Democratic Party's (SDP) Ivo Josipovic will easily enter the second round with over 28% of the vote.

"The citizens will be able to vote between honesty and corruption, between light and darkness, and my contacts with the public indicate that citizens want a just Croatia and a better life," the Zagreb-based Vecernji quoted Josipovic as saying. He titled his campaign "Justice", promising to fight corruption on all levels. Two women are running for president: Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party and independent candidate Vesna Skare Ozbolt, but polls suggest neither is likely to win.

"We made it clear that a campaign can be conducted with competence and knowledge, not just slogans," said Pusic.

Research company Promocija Plus suggests that Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic, running as an independent, will rake in about 18% of the vote, closely followed by former economy minister and fellow independent Nadan Vidosevic.

Dragan Primorac, a former education minister, will attract about 8% of the vote, followed by ruling Croatian Democratic Union candidate, Andrija Hebrang, a former health minister, with 7.2%.

The presidential race might be decided by the 260,000 Bosnia and Herzegovina Croats in the country, who will cast their ballots at 124 polling stations.

The president of Croatia plays a role in foreign policy-making, is the chief military commander and heads the national intelligence service. Incumbent Stipe Mesic has served two consecutive terms and cannot run again.