Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, a politically conservative member of the Croatian Democratic Union, has become the first female president of Croatia.
The 46-year-old secured 50.5 per cent of the vote with 99 per cent of ballots counted, while incumbent Ivo Josipovic was close behind on 49.5 per cent.
Grabar-Kitarovic’s win is a sign that Croatia may be shifting to the right after the centre-left coalition’s failure to end six years of economic downturn.
Reacting to her victory, the former foreign minister and assistant to the NATO Secretary general addressed jubilant supporters saying, “I will not let anyone tell me that Croatia will not be prosperous and wealthy.”
She also called for national unity to tackle the economic crisis.
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