Former Prime Minister: Some candidates do not understand the presidential powers

Kosor pointed out an important trend in this election campaign: Most candidates have switched from traditional television advertising to communicating via social media.

She also analysed the candidates' appearances during arguably the most important televised event of the campaign - the debate on Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT).

“I don’t understand how some of them collected enough signatures”

“The debate confirmed what we already realised during the campaign - we have no answers as to why some candidates decided to run in the first place and I don’t understand how some of them collected enough signatures. It’s obvious that some still don’t understand the powers of the president,” Kosor said.

She added, “The debate showed that the current president is clearly the front-runner. He performed well, avoided attacking his main challenger in the polls, and focused on answering the questions. He showed that he understands the Constitution and the presidential powers."

Kosor noted that Ivana Kekin delivered a remarkable performance with clearly defined and well-articulated positions: “She was the only one who tried to get answers from the main challenger Dragan Primorac.”

Milanovic vs. Plenkovic rivalry dominates the election campaign

“Mr Jonjic was consistent, eloquent and precise in his views. He is one of the candidates who can present their positions clearly and efficiently,” she added.

According to Kosor, Miro Bulj is using this election to promote himself ahead of the local elections. Marija Selak-Raspudic initially appeared to be a serious challenger to Dragan Primorac, but lost this impression during the debate: “By attacking Milanovic, she wanted to convince HDZ party voters that she is a better alternative than Primorac.”

Kosor pointed out that the election campaign ultimately boils down to a rivalry between Milanovic and Plenkovic, with the question of whether Plenkovic is using Primorac to gain control of the military and secret services, which he currently cannot fully control, remaining open.

“I am very curious to see whether HDZ voters and their long-time supporters have completely forgotten and forgiven Primorac for his 2009 election campaign. Back then, he ran as an HDZ member, while the party’s official candidate was Andrija Hebrang, which led to Primorac's exclusion by the party statute. You can't run if the party already has a candidate. I wonder if everyone has forgotten that now and think it is normal,” the former prime minister concluded.