A legal academic and Zagreb’s rugged mayor were vying for Croatia’s top political job in a runoff election yesterday that pitted two men with vividly different styles against each other for the presidency of the EU-hopeful nation.
Ivo Josipovic, a law expert and classical music composer who is a member of the opposition Social Democrats, led in the first round of voting last month. He got 32 percent of the votes, double that of Milan Bandic, the popular Zagreb mayor.
A second round is needed because no candidate got more than 50 percent. Pre-election polls give Josipovic up to 55 percent of the votes, while Bandic trails with about 38 percent. But many voters are still undecided.
CRITICAL TIMING
The presidential role is largely ceremonial, but the vote comes at the critical time for the country, gripped by corruption and economic downturn as it steers toward EU membership as early as next year.
Both men say they are pro-EU and pledge to nurture good relations with Washington and Croatia’s Balkan neighbors. Bandic, however, has the support of rightists and nationalists, who detest the government’s pro-Western course.
With Josipovic, Croats will be choosing a president “who will not make problems” as the government implements its pro-Western policies, said Davor Gjenero, a political analyst.
Bandic would bring “uncertainty,” given his populist style, which approaches nationalism, and his inclination to make ad hoc political decisions, Gjenero said.
STUDY IN CONTRASTS
The two men are a study in contrasts.
Josipovic, 52, has emphasized his commitment to rooting out crime and corruption.
A professor of international law at the Zagreb Law Faculty, he joined politics six years ago and became a lawmaker. He has an untainted resume, but even his supporters acknowledge that he lacks charisma.
He is backed by leftist parties and urban Croats, as well as by Stipe Mesic, the outgoing president who helped transform Croatia from a nationalist bastion in the 1990s to a pro-Western democracy.
BANDIC THE PATRIOT
Bandic’s stands are more fluid.
He played the Croatian patriot card during the campaign, hoping to reach out to voters still focused on the country’s four-year war of independence from Yugoslavia, which deepened traditional rivalries with neighboring Serbia.
The 54-year-old Bandic, who has promised to “work like a horse for Croatia,” is believed to maneuver around regulations to get the job done. He has been accused repeatedly by local media of cronyism and nepotism and hasn’t showed much knowledge of foreign affairs.
Bandic is supported by the influential Roman Catholic church, war veterans and some rightist politicians.
About 4.4 million Croats are eligible to vote, including around 400,000 living abroad. Polls opened at 7am and close 12 hours later. First results were expected at last night at midnight.
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