ZAGREB (Reuters) - The Socialist Democrats' candidate and former prime minister Zoran Milanovic was leading in the first round of Croatia's presidential election, the State Electoral Commission said on Sunday after 58% of votes counted.
Milanovic got 30.8% of the votes ahead of incumbent center-right president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), with 27.5%. An independent candidate Miroslav Skoro, a popular singer with conservative nationalist-leaning voters is third with 23% of votes.
The first two out of 11 candidates will go to a run-off on Jan. 5, 2020.
The job of the president is to a large extent ceremonial as the head of state cannot veto laws, but has a say in foreign policy and defense matters. The president has a five-year term with the next one starting in February 2020.