Croatia president tries to unite right against leftist ex-PM

Croatia’s conservative president is trying to lure nationalists back to her camp as she faces a leftist ex-premier at the polls Sunday, in a race that has revealed growing support for the country’s radical right.

The run-off election comes just four days after Croatia formally took over the EU’s rotating presidency at a difficult juncture for both Brussels and Zagreb.

While Brussels is staring down the barrel of Brexit and divisions on everything from climate to immigration policy, Zagreb is struggling to tackle an emigration crisis, corruption and a lacklustre economy at home.

On Sunday 3.8 million eligible voters will be asked to choose between two rival visions of the Adriatic country: the “real Croatia” that centre-right incumbent Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic says she represents, and the “normal Croatia” that her Social Democrat rival Zoran Milanovic promises to deliver.

While the role is mostly ceremonial, the president represents the country on the world stage, coordinates foreign policy with the government and is in charge of the armed forces.