Thompson, Trump and the ‘Deep Church’ Overshadowed Croatia’s Year

Croatia began 2025 by wrapping up a presidential election that began in 2024, much to the chagrin of many within the ruling majority.

In the first round, the incumbent, Zoran Milanovic, fell short of outright victory by less than one per cent, forcing a run-off against Dragan Primorac, formally an independent but backed by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

The climax proved a debacle for both Primorac and the parties behind him: the challenger failed to win in any regional self-governing unit or county and barely increased his vote count from the first round, even though five of the six candidates knocked out before the run-off were, like Primorac, on the right of the political spectrum.