ZAGREB, December 30, 2019 - Presidential candidate Zoran Milanović said on Sunday wars were over and that there should be no more trading in hate at the expense of those who had given the most yet received the least, and called for fighting for "civilised peace."

Speaking at an election rally, he also called "for tolerance and normal relations between people, for what we lost in the privatisation plunder... for what made up the backbone, the core of this society - work, creation, the harder path."

"We can't be a state which lives off rent, natural resources" and membership in the ruling HDZ party, he said.

"There is no true Croatia," he added. Croatia is "a republic of all its citizens, equal citizens, a republic of peace, happiness, prosperity, a republic in which there is respect for those who are different... an open society, a good society."

A republic in which prosperity is not measured only by money, in which people want to live and then there will be many more children, he said. That is not achieved by those who resort to force, violence and threat, but those willing to talk and approach people regardless of faith, he added.

"That's the modern and open society I have been fighting for... for 13 years now... I want to lead a political organisation which will advocate and create an open society for open and free people."

Milanović said that in recent years the office of the president of the republic had been neglected. "I'm bringing something different. I'll be the president of all citizens, I'll bring together the best. We will win... because we are better, because we are more humane, more patient and moderate in the things we offer and promise."

He reiterated that important for demography was an honest government which citizens recognised as theirs and which would not abandon them. "When people recognise that... they stay and fight because they realise that a good, open, honest government supports them, and they will have it with me as president."

Milanović also commented on the 658,000 migrants who crossed Croatia four years ago, when he was prime minister, en route to a better life in Germany and elsewhere.

"We behaved humanely then, but first and foremost as rational politicians, because my job as president is to first and foremost serve Croatia's interests and only then general laws, because if you are not guided by those general laws, society turns into a mob in which everyone is for himself... in which those who are decent, who are weaker, get the worst of it, and that's the majority, unfortunately... That majority is my people and my voters, all Croatian citizens, not true or false ones."

"The Adriatic is the backbone of our world, as is continental Croatia, and we must become aware of our identity, not rebuild it. We are a Mediterranean country, a Central European country and, in part, in the Balkans, and this makes us rich," he said. "We are incredibly talented, full of spirit, energy, and we won't let the merchants in hate and intolerance kill that merry human spirit in us. Our people is merry, curious, but intelligent. Croatia is not disappearing and don't fall for panic tricks that tomorrow we won't be here, that we will be crushed."

Milanović went on to say that he saw a "nice energy" and normal thinking in Croatia. He said it was high time for change and that as president he would not go around as a lobbyist buttonholing shady types but as the chief agent and advocate of Croatian interests.

He said that whatever the outcome of the runoff, the climate in Croatia after this campaign would be "different, healthier... It's time we set high goals. We can be among the first 15 in Europe."

Milanović is the presidential candidate of the opposition Social Democrats and 12 other parties.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

Current Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and opponent former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović have officially accepted RTL's invitation to participate in a presidential debate, which will be held at 20h on Monday, December 30, 2019 – according to the television network.

This will be the first debate between the two remaining presidential candidates who entered the runoff after the December 22 elections. The runoff will take place on Sunday, January 5, 2020.

Debate Will Last 60 to 90 Minutes

The debate will be moderated by Damira Gregoret and Ivan Vrdoljak and edited by Ana Bulić on RTL. It will last between 60 to 90 minutes, which is considerably shorter than the first two-and-half-hour debate, which included all eleven first round presidential candidates. As announced, the two remaining candidates will answer questions regarding political, economic, social and other topics of public concern. Each candidate will be given equal time to respond.

During his appearance in Split on Saturday, Presidential candidate Zoran Milanović said that he expects RTL to agree that ideological issues will be kept at a minimum during the upcoming debate with his contender Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, and that this debate will focus on "development and growth topics".

Debate Won't Focus on Ideological Issues

“I expect questions that will deal with ideology of Tito and team and Pavelic to be kept to a minimum. I will insist on that, because these are the rules of the debate that have been agreed upon. "I want to know the general framework, not the individual issues - this is not HRT (Croatian Radio Television). Of course, I love HRT, but this is a more professional television network and I expect an agreement," Milanović told reporters while campaigning on the Split Riva.

He said he expects to discuss developmental and statehood topics, and presidential powers. He is not interested in having anyone “describe Croatia's policy toward Bosnia in one minute. We got that question at HRT," Milanović pointed out.

Milanović Notes His Successes and HDZ Failures

Asked why he thought he would be a better president than prime minister, Milanović replied that they were two "substantially different jobs." He claimed that, as prime minister, he pulled the country out of a severe crisis, and that HDZ has increased Croatia’s public debt twice as much as his government had. "Even with the Plenković government, the public debt has grown by almost 20 billion HRK," Milanović said, adding that "within a half year it had paradoxically decreased by three billion during the time of Orešković."

Milanović also asserted that his government was "therapeutic for Croatia, relatively fair, free of affairs, imprisonment and indictments." He said that Croatia had entered a period of "economic expansion" during his government.

"Then comes Kitarović, and we get someone who cannot not read, write or speak Croatian (Tihomir Orešković). Then Plenković shows up and things really haven’t changed much – if at all. We currently live in a time of minimal economic growth," Milanović emphasized. He added that “we rank last in European countries to completely utilize available EU funds.”

Croatia World Superpower in Tourism Only

According to Milanović, under HDZ’s rule, we have failed to integrate into the European and world markets except in tourism where we are a world superpower.

"We live off of peace, stability, warm seas and perhaps too much from selling these resources, and the current president does not understand this," Milanović concluded. "Geopolitics is very important because you need to know whom you associate with and choose respectable partners. However, HDZ and the president have chosen to associate with bad partners."

Croatia President Appeared Alone on N1 Sunday

Despite sending the same invitation to the headquarters of both candidates, N1 did not have official confirmation from either headquarters that the candidates would participate today’s debate on N1. However, the current president and candidate for second term, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, showed up.

Her opponent Zoran Milanović did not appear, and Nataša Božić, editor of “Tocka na tjedan” (Topic of the Week) had a conversation with the president, while a chair for her opponent sat empty.

President Clarifies Message to Voters

"I called on the citizens to vote for Croatia for everyone, not for a divided Croatia," the president said, explaining her message to voters to "choose the right Croatia."

"I do not want to divide our country into either us or them, but to vote for Croatia, and unite around common values," said Grabar Kitarovic, who initially told Nataša Božić that she did not tell the voters at the recent Karlovac rally that they were choosing "the right Croatia ".

"I am sending my messages and expect that the Croatian voters will vote based on what I represent and based on my program," she said.

Successes of First Presidential Term

“I have not fulfilled some of my promises, because during my term you could see that some objectives were impossible to achieve or there were other priorities, but this is what I have done,” Grabar-Kitarović said of her achievements in the first term.

"I have saved taxpayers 25 million HRK in five years, which may not seem like much to some people, but if you have a budget that is just over 30 million, then 25 million is a respectable figure," the president added.

President Tells Voters to Circle Wrong Ballot Number

"Dear Voters, I urge you to go to the polls on January 5, 2019 and cast your vote for Croatia and continue the process of growth and development. Vote for a Croatia that knows and can do better, a Croatia that is proud of its values, a Croatia that does have an inferiority complex on the world stage but is an equal participant. I urge you to circle number 1 on the ballot for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović," the president told voters.

Zoran Milanović, her opponent, is number 1 on the ballot for the upcoming runoff presidential election. The current president is number 2 on the ballot. This is the latest in a series of campaign gaffes by Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović which have led to questions regarding her ability to continue managing the demands of the office.

Follow our Politics page for developments during the final days of the Croatia presidential campaigns. We will be providing by-the-minute exit poll updates and election results after the polls close at 19h on January 5, 2020.

ZAGREB, December 28, 2019 - The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party and a group of other centre-left parties, Zoran Milanović, held an election rally in the eastern city of Osijek on Friday, saying he hoped he would attract more voters than her rival, the incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, in the January 5 runoff.

"It will be very tight and uncertain until the very end. I will need every vote and every piece of trust people can give me, which I believe will make my victory realistic and attainable," Milanović told reporters in the city's main square.

Asked how he was going to win additional votes in Slavonia, especially from voters of Miroslav Škoro, who was a relative winner of the first round of the presidential election in four of five Slavonia counties, Milanović said he had been doing it for months, but that no radical changes could be achieved in the last five days of campaigning.

"I will continue to be present, drawing attention to what stands in Croatia's way and prevents it from being a good and successful country," he added.

Asked to comment on a statement made by Grabar-Kitarović in Karlovac today, in which she called on voters to vote for a true Croatia in the runoff, Milanović said: "For them a true Croatia is one led by the HDZ, in which she developed (politically) and obtained interest-free loans while others had to sell everything they had for a pittance."

"For me, a true Croatia is something else, an open, curious and modern country, aware of its history, but not naive, not falling for every new trick and every new idea whatever it may be. A mature, sober and confident path leading Croatia into the immediate future," he added.

Commenting on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's accusations that during his premiership he had increased the country's debt, Milanovic said that his government "saved Croatia from debt collapse, although it took office in the worst financial crisis, with huge interest on our debt", with a public debt of more than 65 percent, which was left by the HDZ government.

"That's why I would like Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović to appear in the first one-on-one debate on Monday," Milanović said, adding that that was also the right way to discuss other things apart from presidential powers, "but which show knowledge, a breadth of education and character, everything I believe I am better at than Grabar-Kitarović."

Asked what his message would be to the people of Slavonia, Milanović said: "Things will be better, but not overnight."

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 23, 2019 - Presidential candidate Zoran Milanović on Monday called on all national television stations to organise a joint telecast of a presidential debate ahead of the second round of the presidential election.

"A debate is more than necessary. In respect of citizens and the interest by all national television (stations) that wish to organise a debate between the presidential candidates, I recommend that they agree and organise a joint debate ahead of the second round of the election," Milanović posted on his Facebook profile.

The Social Democratic Party (SDP)-backed candidate says that he is ready to answer any questions by reporters from all television stations and to debate all topics that are important for Croatia.

"Therefore, I propose one debate that will be jointly organised by television stations at the national level," said Milanović who made it to the second round at Sunday's election and is running against Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) candidate, the incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in the runoff for the presidency.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 23, 2019 - Zoran Milanović, who won 29.5% of the vote in Sunday's presidential election, as against 26.7% won by incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, said "we are going into a second round but we are not going to war, wars are over."

"We are going into a civilised match and may the better one win. I believe I'm the better one," he said after his relative victory in the first round of the vote.

Milanović said he would fight to convince everyone for whom Croatian interest came first to vote in the runoff so that Croatia could be a solidarity state because he wanted a country of equals.

Whatever will be, will be in two weeks' time, there's no bitterness in me, but there's no fear either, he said. "I think I'm mature, ready and willing to do this job in good faith, but this is more than a job, it's a way of life."

I'm aware that not everyone likes me, but I will treat everyone as a human being, Milanović said. "I won't treat anyone with hate but in good faith. I'm aware that there will be those who won't like me, but my job is to reach everyone, both those who will support me and the others."

"In Croatia no one must come second and no one must be neglected. You have a right to happiness and a peaceful life," Milanović said.

No one in Croatia will feel like a second-class citizen

"In the Croatia in which I am president, no one will feel as a second-class citizen. I won't have the strong, financial, executive instruments to achieve that, you'll have to take my word for it, and what lies ahead is believing two candidates based on what we have done, said and achieved. In this match my chances are big and I once again call on all Croatians, those who didn't vote, those who did, to think twice, to watch the next two weeks and then vote and give me that little bit of faith without which I don't exist," Milanović said.

"When I become president, all my loyalties to anything other than the Croatian constitution will end. I will be a fervent advocate of that constitution. And that's it, that's my state, but I am not the state."

Milanović is the presidential candidate of 13 parties led by the opposition Social Democratic Party. The turnout to the polls was 51.15%. Milanović won 557,900 votes of the 3.855 million eligible voters in the country, while Grabar-Kitarović, the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, won 503,653 votes.

More news about Zoran Milanović can be found in the Politics section.

According to election results released at 5h CET (with 99.98% votes processed) on December 23, 2019; Croatia President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović and former Prime Minister Zoran Milanović will advance to round two of the Croatian presidential elections on January 5, 2020. Miroslav Škoro, a popular folk musician, who was closely trailing Grabar-Kitarović in the early exit polls, will not advance to the second round.

Here is a breakdown of the final results for all eleven presidential candidates:

29.55% - Zoran Milanović – Former Prime Minister | SDP
26.65% - Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – Current President | HDZ
24.45% - Miroslav Škoro – Folk singer and former Croatian Parliament Representative | Independent
5.87% - Mislav Kolakušić – Former Judge and EU Parliament Representative | Independent
4.61% - Dario Juričan – Legal name: Milan Bandić. Filmmaker and Performance Artist | Independent
2.89% - Dalija Orešković – Former Chair Conflicts of Interest Croatian Parliament | Independent
2.31% - Ivan Pernar – Member of Croatian Parliament | Party of Ivan Pernar
1.12% - Katarina Peović – Former member of Zagreb City Council | Workers’ Front
0.95% - Dejan Kovač – Economist and Princeton graduate | HSLS
0.21% - Anto Đapić – Former Osijek Mayor and Former Member of Croatian Parliament | DESNO
0.15% - Nedjeljko Babić – Regional party candidate | HSSČKŠ

First Woman President of Croatia

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, born April 29, 1968; is the fourth and current President of Croatia since 2015. She is the first woman to be elected to the office since the first multi-party elections in 1990. At 46, she also became the youngest person to assume the presidency.

Before her election as president, Grabar-Kitarović held several governmental and diplomatic positions. She was Minister of European Affairs from 2003 to 2005, the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration from 2005 to 2008, Croatian ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011 and the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy from 2011 to 2014.

Grabar-Kitarović was the only female candidate in the Croatian presidential elections held in December 2014 and January 2015 and was runner-up in the first round. She proceeded to narrowly defeat incumbent President Ivo Josipović in the second round. Her strong performance in the first round was unexpected, as most opinion polls had given President Josipović a strong lead. In the second round, Grabar-Kitarović defeated Josipović by 1.48%, which was the closest percentage margin of any presidential election to date.

She was a member of the conservative of HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) from 1993 to 2015 and was also one of three Croatian members of the Trilateral Commission, but was required to resign both positions upon taking office as president in 2015, as Croatian presidents are not permitted to hold other political positions or party membership while in office. In 2017, Forbes magazine listed Grabar-Kitarović as the world's 39th most powerful woman.

Grabar-Kitarović’s 2019 presidential campaign has been marked by a series of gaffes and apparent missteps. She enjoys a warm political association with controversial Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, whose party officially endorsed her candidacy. Last week, she claimed during a campaign rally in Osijek that she had secured jobs for Croatian citizens to work from home for 8000 EUR, after they had received training abroad.

After refusing to debate other presidential candidates before the first election round; she relented and agreed to one debate with all eleven candidates on HRT (Croatian Radio Television), a public network frequently accused of favoring the president’s former political party (HDZ). Even though only three of the eleven presidential candidates were consistently polling in the double digits, Grabar-Kitarović refused offers by commercial networks to debate her top two contenders. She justified her decision by indicating that she believed all the presidential candidates should be heard. The resulting debate, which took place just days before the election, was a two-and-a-half-hour fiasco, in which all eleven candidates were given opportunities to discuss their views on abortion, religious education, corruption, border control and gay pride.

Former Prime Minister of Croatia

Zoran Milanović, born October 30, 1966; is the former Prime Minister of Croatia, a position which he held from December 2011 to January 2016. He was the leader of SDP (Social Democratic Party of Croatia), the largest centre-left political party in Croatia, from 2007 to 2016. He served as Leader of the opposition twice, from 2007 to 2011 and from January to November 2016, when Davor Bernardić succeeded him as SDP leader.

After graduating from the Zagreb Faculty of Law, Milanović began his career the Croatian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served as an advisor at the Croatian Mission to the European Union and NATO in Brussels from 1996–99. In 1998 he earned his master's degree in European Union law at the Flemish University in Brussels and was an assistant to the Foreign Minister of Croatia for political multilateral affairs in 2003.

In June 2007 he was elected President of SDP, following the death of Prime Minister Ivica Račan. In 2011, Milanović initiated the formation of the Kukuriku coalition, uniting four center-left political parties. The coalition won an absolute majority in the 2011 parliamentary election, and SDP became the strongest party in parliament. Milanović became Prime Minister on December 23, 2011, after the parliament approved his cabinet.

Milanović’s term as Prime Minister was marked by Croatia's entry into the European Union. His cabinet introduced changes to the tax code, passed a fiscalization law, and began several large infrastructure projects. Milanović also supported the expansion of same-sex couples rights and introduced the Life Partnership Act.

Following the 2015 election, he was succeeded as Prime Minister by Tihomir Orešković. Milanović led the four-party coalition until the early parliamentary elections in September 2016. Following a surprise defeat, Milanović announced his withdrawal from politics. He then entered the consulting business and worked as an advisor to Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

On June 17, 2019; Milanović announced that he would be running for President of Croatia as the SDP's candidate in the upcoming election. Under the slogan “A President with Character,” he ran his campaign based on center-left principles and values, and his record as prime minister. He acknowledged making mistakes as Prime Minister and does not want to increase the powers of the Croatian presidency, which have been reduced since President Franjo Tuđman’s term ended in 1999. Milanović also insisted that he would not participate in a presidential debate without Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović’s guaranteed participation, which was verified a day before the presidential debate was broadcast on HRT.

Popular Musician Fails to Advance

Miroslav Škoro, born July 29, 1962; is a Croatian pop-folk musician and politician. His music is characterized by its traditional tamburitza sound, updated to appeal to a contemporary audience.

Born in Osijek, Škoro completed his degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Osijek. He subsequently spent some time in the United States of America where he attended the Community College of Allegheny County for two years.

He emerged on the Croatian music scene with his debut album “Ne dirajte mi ravnicu” (Don’t touch my prairie) and produced a song of the same name, which would go on to be one of the most famous Croatian songs. In 2002, Škoro collaborated with controversial right-wing singer Marko Perković on the song "Reci, brate moj" (Tell me, my brother). They continued their collaboration on the single "Sude mi" (They're putting me on trial), which was dedicated to former Croatian general Ante Gotovina.

In addition to a music career, Škoro has enjoyed a career in politics. From 1995 to 1997, he was the Croatian general consul to Hungary. Between 2001 and 2006, Škoro was the Chairman of the Board of Croatia Records. In 2007, he joined HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) and won a seat in the parliament the same year. Škoro took office in January 2008 but resigned ten months later due to his disappointment over the way he felt that politicians were being treated by the Croatian media.

On June 23, 2019; Škoro announced his candidacy in the 2019 Croatian presidential election. In a video message on his Facebook page, Škoro indicated that changes to the constitution are needed and that the president should have more powers. He maintained 3rd place in pre-election polls, close behind Grabar-Kitarović and Milanović. His campaign was supported by several right-wing parties including HKS, Hrast and Most.

Škoro’s presidential campaign has been marked by controversy. He was living in the United States during the Homeland War while many of his peers remained in Croatia defending her borders. He indicated that he would pardon convicted Croatian war criminal, Tomislav Merčep. During the presidential debate, he promised to send troops to secure the border to prevent illegal migrants from entering Croatia. Škoro also violated terms of the “election silence” at least three times since it went into effect 24 hours before election day and ended at 19h after the polls closed. During the election silence, candidates are forbidden from campaigning. 

Follow our Politics page for updates on the 2019/2020 Croatian presidential elections.

The incumbent Croatian president has accepted the HRT invitation to debate with the other presidential candidates. We have learned that HDZ candidate, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, will nevertheless come face to face with the other presidential candidates in a debate, which is being coordinated by HRT (Croatian Radio Television) tomorrow night December 17, 2019 at 21:05h.

Grabar-Kitarović confirmed the news and stated that "each candidate who has collected 10 thousand signatures must have an equal opportunity and no one should be underestimated or favored before the first election round takes place."

All Eleven Croatian Candidates Expected to Attend

According to unofficial reports, all eleven presidential candidates are expected to show up at HRT studios on Tuesday at 21:05h. The debate will be televised on HRT1, as reported by Jutarnji List/Zadarski on December 16, 2019.

The eleven presidential candidates are:

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović – Current President | HDZ
Zoran Milanović – Former Prime Minister | SDP
Miroslav Škoro – Folk singer and former Croatian Parliament Representative | Independent
Mislav Kolakušić – Former Judge and EU Parliament Representative | Independent
Dario Juričan – Legal name: Milan Bandić. Filmmaker and Performance Artist | Independent
Dejan Kovač – Economist and Princeton graduate | HSLS
Dalija Orešković – Former Chair Conflicts of Interest Croatian Parliament | Independent
Ivan Pernar – Member of Croatian Parliament | Party of Ivan Pernar
Anto Đapić – Former Osijek Mayor and Former Member of Croatian Parliament | DESNO
Nedjeljko Babić – Regional party candidate | HSSČKŠ
Katarina Peović – Former member of Zagreb assembly | Workers’ Front

Milanović Sought Guarantee for President’s Appearance

Earlier on Monday, SDP presidential candidate Zoran Milanović spoke about the debate, saying that he had sent an official memo to HRT seeking a guarantee that the current president would appear - otherwise he would not participate.

“Presidential candidate Zoran Milanović will participate in the debate organized by HRT on December 17, 2019 if President of the Republic, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who is running as a candidate and defending her term, agrees to participate in the debate. If HRT, as organizer of the debate, can confirm and guarantee the arrival of President Grabar-Kitarović, Zoran Milanović is also ready to participate. Please confirm that she will attend,” the memo reads.

“However, we are still waiting for HTV's response. The day before the much-publicized debate, they don't want to reveal on public television whether Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović is coming to the debate? Give us an answer and let us know because we’ll continue to think that HTV is negotiating with the HDZ behind our backs. You're not going to bring Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović through the back door, in the dark, to Prisavlje (location of HRT headquarters), are you? We expect a response by 10am on Tuesday,” Milanović wrote on Facebook.

A response from Grabar-Kitarović's headquarters has arrived in the meantime.

"Finally, we were able to get a confirmation that the current president is coming to the debate. I'll respond. I know what I've been doing for the last 10 years and I know I'll be the target of criticism for those who want to celebrate through the night. My goal is for a normal Croatia and it starts on January 5th," read his Facebook update on December 16, 2019.

Earlier Debates Abandoned Due to President’s Non-participation

Zoran Milanović and Miroslav Škoro had refused to participate in debates among the four most popular candidates, which other TV stations had tried to coordinate, since Grabar-Kitarović chose not to participate. As she did not consent, planning for those debates failed. Mislav Kolakušić was the only candidate who had given his consent.

Be sure and watch the debate tomorrow December 17, 2019 on HRT1 at 21:05h. Follow our Politics page for updates on the 2019/2020 presidential elections.

ZAGREB, December 14, 2019 - The Social Democratic Party's presidential candidate, Zoran Milanović, said in Ogulin on Friday that Croatia should think carefully before introducing the euro because if it does it, it will lose its national currency for good "and the kuna is what it is, but it is ours."

"Several countries that have been members of the EU for quite some time have not joined the euro area - the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. A housing loan in Greece, which has introduced the euro, is more expensive than at Zagrebačka Banka, where housing loans are more expensive than in Italy. So there are no right and unquestionable arguments about the introduction of the euro being the right thing to do," he said.

Milanović also commented on insulting posters against him that he saw pinned to trees in Ogulin.

"I know what the message behind them is because there are people of Serb ethnicity here who have the same surname as I do ... those are messages of intimidation. People (responsible for that) have been trading in fear for more than 20 years. They idolise a Communist general, Tito's general, who was their leader, and they keep saying those senseless things," Milanović said, accusing the ruling HDZ party of being behind the posters.

"That is not a normal Croatia," he said, adding that the government was dealing with unimportant things and that other countries were outperforming Croatia in all areas.

He also spoke critically about the judicial system, saying that "thieves are not sentenced because of the expiry of the statute of limitations and lack of evidence, which is insulting."

He also noted that health care could not be free but that it had to be available.

Calling on citizens to go to the polls on December 22, he said that since the start of his political career he had never enjoyed any preferential treatment and that he did not want anything for Croatia but to be a normal country "while the philosophy of the right, particularly the HDZ's right, is a philosophy of proscription and social domination."

Such an attitude "leads to rebellion and dissatisfaction, wars start when you treat people as second-class citizens, when you vilify entire nations or groups, which is what the HDZ does," said Milanović.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 13, 2019 - The leaders of the opposition parties which support presidential candidate Zoran Milanović said on Friday the December 22 presidential election would be a watershed as citizens would choose between a normal and civic Croatia and a far-right and populist Croatia.

Speaking at a press conference, Social Democratic Party president Davor Bernardić said voters would be choosing between a normal and an abnormal Croatia. He called out those in power for failing to resolve citizens' key problems.

"The standard is falling, the costs of living are rising, salaries are not rising, pensions are paltry, waiting lists are longer and longer and debts higher and higher in the health sector, which is about to collapse. Injustice is at every turn, the county is burdened by never bigger corruption," he said, adding that over a million Croatians lived on the brink of poverty.

Bernardić said over 150,000 working-age Croatians had left the country during the incumbent government's turn, and reiterated that the education reform boiled down to the procurement of cheap tablets.

Croatian Peasant Party president Krešo Beljak said half a million people had left the country, 90% of whom were not voters of the ruling HDZ. He called on citizens to "be the light at the end of this lost year" on December 22 and show that Croatia could have a future and that next year could be much brighter.

At the press conference, the leaders of the Democrats, GLAS, the Istrian Democratic Assembly, the Croatian Pensioners Party, the Croatian Labour Party and independent MP Bojan Glavašević also urged citizens to vote for Milanović.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.

ZAGREB, December 1, 2019 The Social Democratic Party's (SDP) candidate for president of the republic, Zoran Milanović, said in Virovitica on Saturday that citizens were complaining to him about feeling undervalued and noted that that was how education-sector workers were feeling as well, but that he did not want to manipulate the ongoing teachers' strike the way the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) had manipulated a war veterans' protest five years ago.

"I don't want to side with them like a hyena, which is what the HDZ did with the protesting war veterans five years ago. It is unfair and inhumane. Maybe they resent some things about me, but the current work stoppage in schools, the kind of which has not happened since World War II, has nothing to do with my government. When I hear today the HDZ accusing me of the situation in the education system, then, no matter how much I feel sorry about children not going to school, I also feel a certain amount of satisfaction because people can see what kind of manipulators and disseminators of untruth they have to deal with," said Milanović.

He said that incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was shunning presidential debates and that she would continue to do so until the end of the campaign.

"It's no wonder she is persistently accusing me of the teachers' strike because she has sided with the Andrej Plenković government. The two of them are from the same camp... they were mentored by Ivo Sanader who left scorched earth behind as well as financial chaos which we (the SDP) had to deal with," said Milanović.

Speaking of his platform, Milanović said that his emphasising the term normalcy was about the need to eradicate mental and fiscal violence.

"Croatia has been a victim of ruthless plundering, the best example of it here in Virovitica is the fact that 17 million kuna has disappeared from the town budget and nobody knows how. Police should have investigated the matter long ago, but they did not. I don't know what they have been doing for the past six months, they are evidently protecting someone," he said.

More news about presidential elections can be found in the Politics section.