"Dissatisfied Croats" elect first woman president

"Dissatisfied Croats" elect first woman president

The victory of Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic in the Croatian presidential election was a reflection of the dissatisfaction of Croatian citizens, the media say.

Citizens are dissatisfied with the economic crisis and that the victory of the HDZ party candidate is a good indication of how the upcoming parliamentary elections will go, international news agencies are reporting.

Former diplomat Grabar-Kitarovic, from the conservative opposition HDZ, can expect a few months of tense cohabitation with a government led by the Social Democrats before parliamentary elections in late 2015, according to Reuters.

Although the office of the president is largely ceremonial, the British agency stated that her victory could mark the return of the HDZ to power.

Grabar-Kitarovic on Sunday won 50.4 percent of the vote, while her runoff rival, incumbent Ivo Josipovic, received 49.6 percent.

Grabar-Kitarovic, who takes office as Croatia's first woman president, during the election campaign emphasized the need for a change of direction and greater activity of the head of state so that the country could overcome the worst economic crisis since it declared independence in 1991, Reuters said.

The Associated Press points out it its report that these elections were a key test for the center-left government, which will this year go to elections under a cloud of criticism for the way in which it is facing the economic crisis.

A conservative victory could lead to a renewal of right-wing nationalism in Croatia, which would jeopardize its relations with the neighbors, "including the former rival from the time of the Balkan wars, Serbia," according to the AP.

AFP reported...