CROATIA’S opposition-backed President Zoran Milanovic, a critic of the European Union and Nato, overwhelmingly won re-election for another five-year term on Sunday.

Mr Milanovic defeated Dragan Primorac from the ruling right-wing party in a run-off vote, winning the largely ceremonial presidency with more than 74 per cent of the vote to 26 per cent, official results showed.

The result presents a major boost for Mr Milanovic, who is a critic of Western military support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. 

Mr Milanovic is also a fierce opponent of Croatia’s right-wing Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his government.

In a speech after the results were announced, Mr Milanovic said that his victory was a sign of approval and trust from the voters but also presented a message “about the state of affairs in the country for those who need to hear it.”

“I am asking them [the government] to hear it,” said Mr Milanovic. 

He said: “That is what the citizens wanted to say. This is not just support for me.”

Mr Milanovic also won comfortably in the first round of voting on December 29.

The run-off between the top two contenders was necessary because Mr Milanovic fell short of securing 50 per cent of the vote by just 5,000 votes, while Mr Primorac trailed far behind with 19 per cent.

The election was held as Croatia, which has a population of 3.8 million, struggles with biting inflation and corruption scandals.

After voting on Sunday, Mr Milanovic again slammed the EU as “in many ways non-democratic” and run by unelected officials. 

He said the EU position that “if you don’t think the same as I do, then you’re the enemy” amounts to “mental violence.”

Mr Milanovic said: “That’s not the modern Europe I want to live and work in. 

“I will work on changing it, as much as I can as the president of a small nation.”