Zoran Milanović was inaugurated for his second term as President of Croatia. On February 18, he took the oath of office after receiving about three-quarters of the votes in the January elections. Milanović defeated the candidate from the ruling HDZ party, Dragan Primorac, and will continue to serve for the next five years.
The ceremony was attended by around 100 high-ranking officials, including three former presidents. However, representatives from the ruling HDZ party were absent. In his speech, Milanović emphasized that the primary task of the state institutions is to preserve peace and care for the most vulnerable groups in society. He noted that inequality and corruption destroy the social structure, comparing them to a disease.
Milanović, supported by the center-left Social Democratic Party, often clashed during his first term with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, particularly regarding support for Ukraine. Milanović stated that Croatia must stand for peace in international relations, adding that this is not a betrayal of the Western alliances but rather a defense of national interests.
The President of Croatia holds the role of Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and participates in overseeing foreign policy, which has been a point of contention with the government. Milanović is also one of the prominent European leaders sympathetic to Russia, and during a meeting last fall, he refused to support NATO’s initiative to assist Ukraine, considering it potentially harmful to Croatia’s national interests.
