Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoff

Croatia’s left-leaning president Zoran Milanovic, an outspoken critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, is running for re-election in the Adriatic Sea state (Darko Bandic/AP)

Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanovic won most of the votes in the first round of a presidential election on Sunday but must face a runoff against a ruling party candidate to secure another five-year term.

With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%.