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ZAGREB (Reuters) -Incumbent president Zoran Milanovic won the most votes in the first round of Croatia's presidential election on Sunday but fell just short of a majority and will have to go to a second round, results from the State Electoral Commission (DIP) showed.
Milanovic, the opposition Social Democrats' candidate, won 49.1% support after ballots from all polling stations had been counted. His main challenger Dragan Primorac - the candidate of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - won 19.35% support.
The two men will face each other in the second round of voting on Jan. 12.
Independent candidate Marija Selak Raspudic came third with 9.25% support.
The post of president is mostly ceremonial. The president cannot veto laws, but has a say in foreign policy, defence and security matters.
Milanovic, who is known for his harsh criticism of the government, sent a reconciliatory message, saying he will offer a hand to the government at a time of uncertainty.
"I will fight for a Croatia with attitude ... a Croatia which cares about its interests," he told supporters. "I am convinced that we are unstoppable in heading towards the victory."
During his five-year term that expires on Feb. 18, Milanovic, a former prime minister, has clashed with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic over foreign and public policy and has fiercely criticised the European Union and NATO over their support for Ukraine.
Around 3.8 million Croats were eligible to vote, choosing from eight candidates across the political spectrum. The turnout was 46%, the DIP said.
Primorac said he sees the second round as a chance to attract votes that have been dispersed to other right-wing conservative candidates in the first round.
"My programme offers everything that Croatia needs - unity, a better life, a care for the youth ... a care for pensioners," he said.
Despite his populist rhetoric, Milanovic is seen by many as the only counterbalance to the HDZ-dominated government, which has seen 30 ministers forced to leave in recent years amid allegations of corrupt practices.
(Reporting by Daria Sito-Sucic, Fedja Grulovic and Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Sharon Singleton, David Holmes and Rod Nickel)
