The incumbent President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic held her main election rally in Zagreb on Thursday evening ahead of the presidential election on Sunday, saying that she was seeking a second term in office in good conscience because over the last five years Croatia had emerged from apathy and gloom and strengthened its international standing.

“We have pulled Croatia out of apathy and gloom. Croatia is no longer on its knees, it’s upright! Croatia is again known in the world for its successes. I’m proud to have had a chance to help Croatia come out of the recession, I’m proud that I have strengthened Croatia’s standing in the word,” Grabar-Kitarovic told a packed Cibona sports hall.

She thanked everyone for supporting her during the last five years, saying that her term had marked a start of change for the better and “now it should continue with even greater strides”.

She said that the national economy has recovered, wages are rising, general government debt is decreasing, the country’s credit rating and GDP are improving, the military and police are getting stronger, war veterans have been ensured the dignity they deserve, decentralisation is being conducted as the basis for balanced regional development, the issues of missing persons from the war and people with blocked bank accounts are being addressed, the absorption of EU funding is improving and the demographic issue must be a social priority.

She also stressed the importance of national unity. “The unity of the Croatian people and all our citizens has no alternative and I will never give it up.”

She said she had pulled Croatia out of the Western Balkans and anchored it in Central Europe and the Mediterranean through the Three Seas Initiative. “That’s where we belong.”

She concluded by offering the voters “optimism instead of lamentations, unity instead of divisions, association instead of separation, and action instead of inaction.”

The rally was also addressed by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and other senior officials of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party.

Plenkovic called on voters to cast their ballots for Grabar-Kitarovic, saying there was no better president than her. He said he was confident that “the Croatian people will show their wisdom and maturity on Sunday” and vote for her.

Jandrokovic told those gathered that they all needed to support the HDZ candidate together because of the attacks she was being subjected to during the campaign “which was never so dirty before.”

He said that there were no divisions within the HDZ. “We all stand as one, we are all together and we will show it on Sunday.”