President Zoran Milanovic confirmed on Wednesday that he will run for re-election and said he expects the support of the Social Democratic Party, which he needs, among other things, to prevent electoral fraud.

“Here and now. I expect the support of the SDP party. I will need it for various reasons, including organisational ones, to prevent fraud. You asked me, so I will tell you, here and now, without asking too many questions,” he said when asked by a journalist when he would confirm his candidature for re-election.

Milanovic said he had the most knowledge and experience of all the possible candidates, “but of course that is never decisive.”

“It does not have to be now, but these are my strengths,” he added.

Milanovic can count on the SDP, but not on the support of the other parliamentary opposition parties

Shortly after this announcement, two major opposition parties – Mozemo and Most – declared that they would put forward their respective candidates.

SDP parliamentarian Arsen Bauk said that he would support Milanovic’s presidential candidacy and added that he expected the SDP to support him.

Ivana Kekin from Mozemo said that this left-green party would not support Milanovic in his presidential bid. “We have made it clear that we will have our own candidate,” she said, adding that they would decide on their candidate at internal party congresses.

Nikola Grmoja from the Most party said that Milanovic was the candidate of the SDP and the left camp in the last presidential elections and that they would probably support him in his second candidacy as well.

Most will not support him in any case, Grmoja said, adding that his party will consider the possibility of putting forward its candidate.

MP: Milanovic has lost the trust of ethnic Bosniaks

Bosniak member of the Croatian parliament, Armin Hodzic, said that Milanovic has lost the trust of the Bosniak community. He is certain that 99% of Bosniak voters in Croatia will not support Milanovic.

He recalled that Milanovic enjoyed the support of ethnic Bosniaks in Croatia in the run-up to the last presidential elections.

However, his statements on Srebrenica and relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina have cost him the trust of Bosniak voters, said MP Hodzic, who belongs to the parliamentary group of ethnic minorities, a junior partner in the ruling coalition.