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CROATIA-POLITICS
Leftist Milanovic sworn in as Croatia president
ZAGREB, Feb 18, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Leftist former prime minister Zoran
Milanovic was sworn in Tuesday as Croatia’s new president pledging tolerance
and to turn the page on the country’s wartime past.
Milanovic took over the largely ceremonial post for the next five years
after winning a January run-off vote by advocating a “normal Croatia” as a
liberal democracy which promotes equality for all citizens.
The 53-year-old candidate of Social Democrats succeeded conservative
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who was the former Yugoslav republic’s first female
president.
“The wars are over,” Milanovic said at a modest inauguration ceremony at
the presidency.
He made a reference to Croatia’s 1990s independence war, one in a series
that accompanied the collapse of Yugoslavia.
“Today … no Croatian citizen should feel frightened, discriminated or
in any way excluded due to being different,” Milanovic said.
“When I say different I mean both weaker and smaller according to
several criteria — gender, ethnic, social, religious, sexual, labour, age.”
Croatia’s president is the supreme commander of the country’s armed
forces and has a say in foreign policy.
Regarding the latter, Milanovic pledged to focus on “cooperation and
prosperity” including with countries with which Croatia has open issues,
notably neighbouring Serbia and Slovenia.
Milanovic took over the post as the European Union’s newest member,
currently holding the bloc’s rotating helm, is struggling with a mass exodus
of its people, corruption and a lacklustre economy.
The former leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) was prime
minister from 2011 to 2016.
But his government, which led Croatia into EU in 2013, failed to live up
to expectations and implement much-needed reforms, perpetuating widespread
patronage and poor economic trends.
By winning the presidency Milanovic made a comeback after being absent
from politics for three years.
BSS/AFP/SSS/1943 hrs