Voters in Croatia re-elected Zoran Milanovic for a second term after he won almost three-quarters of the votes cast in the country's presidential election.
It was a disappointing result for his opponent Dragan Primorac, who had the support of the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
Primorac garnered 25 percent of the vote – the worst result for Croatia's most powerful political force.
The result was met with a silent reaction from Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
He refused to congratulate the winner and insisted that “Milanovic is not offering anything”.
Milanovic said he would “give a hand” to the prime minister.
Presidents in Croatia fulfill a largely ceremonial role – the constitution insists that they are not party-political figures, but act as the head of state for all citizens.
Milanovic has been a frequent critic of the ruling party on issues such as corruption, inflation and health care.
Although he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he also frequently criticized the West's military support for Kiev.
before becoming presidentMilanović was the Prime Minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016. and led the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 2007 to 2016.
He briefly intervened in the country's parliamentary elections last year, announcing will run for prime ministerbefore the court ruled the move unconstitutional.
In response, he accused the judges of doing the bidding of the CDU – the “gangster clique”, as he put it.
The ruling CDU has been the dominant party since Croatia gained independence more than 30 years ago.