site.btaCroatian President Zoran Milanovic Will No Longer Run for Public Office

Croatian President Zoran Milanovic announced that he will no longer run for any political office, the Croatian daily Dnevnik reports. He made the announcement on Thursday in the western Croatian town of Rovinj in his address as patron of this year's Days of Communication held there.

"I will no longer be a candidate for president or for anything in politics. I'm slowly summing up some things about myself. I realize it's nice to be in the herd, but being in the herd also stinks," Milanovic concluded.

At the Days of Communication, which features more than 180 speakers on five festival stages, Milanovic spoke about global challenges, the political environment and the importance of communication, especially in times of technological progress. He expressed the view that Croatia has maintained a balanced position over the past 30 years, despite various changes.

“Croatia has remained within the same paradigm, the same two parties, similar conflicts of ideologies, the same stories, insults and accusations against each other,” the Head of State said.

Milanovic is in his second term as Croatia's president after he - as the candidate of the opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) - convincingly defeated the ruling Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) candidate Dragan Primorac in the second round of the January 12 presidential election.