After a failed bid to become prime minister, Croatia's president says he'll run for a second term

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ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia's President Zoran Milanović said on Wednesday that he plans to seek a second five-year term at a presidential election expected later this year, months after his failed bid to become the prime minister.

Milanović told reporters that he expects support from his center-left opposition Social Democratic Party for his candidacy. He said he is among the most experienced politicians in Croatia and “that is my trump card."

The 57-year-old Milanović had served as prime minister in the past, before running for president in the vote in December 2019. A populist-style politician, Milanović has often clashed with Croatia's conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

Earlier this year, Milanović created an uproar ahead of a parliamentary election in April when he said he would run for prime minister if his opposition SDP party won the majority. But Milanović's bid was quashed by Croatia's Constitutional Court, which ruled that he cannot run while still a president.

Milanović has been a critic of the European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not be taking sides. He has also openly opposed training Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia.

The presidency in Croatia is largely ceremonial. No date has been set for the election but it is largely expected to be held in December.

Croatia is the newest member state of the EU, after joining the bloc in 2013.