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Croatia’s first woman president-elect promises fight for Croats' rights in Bosnia, Serbia

Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic based her election campaign mainly on economic issues with the focus on measures to step up energy security, fight unemployment and prevent young people from leaving abroad
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic EPA/ANTONIO BAT
Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
© EPA/ANTONIO BAT

BELGRADE, January 12. /TASS/. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who won in the last Sunday's run-off of presidential election in Croatia, a western Balkan country, pledged to local citizens to make the homeland “one of most prosperous in the European Union.”

Grabar-Kitarovic, who based her election campaign mainly on economic issues with the focus on measures to step up energy security, fight unemployment and prevent young people from leaving abroad, raised the same issue on Monday. The country is in a hard economic and social situation, she said, noting that more than 300 thousand unemployed citizens live in Croatia now.

The president-elect promised “to fight for Croatian national interests.”

“We will revive partnership with our friend Germany, resolve unsettled issues with neighbours and will fight for the rights of Croats not only in our homeland,” she said, noting that she would back Croats living In Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Croats in Vojvodina, a Serbian autonomous province.

Croatia’s incumbent President Ivo Josipovic earlier congratulated his rival on victory in the second round of the presidential election.

“She has won in a democratic competition,” Josipovic said, adding that the victory was won “by a small margin.”

According to the Croatian Central Election Commission (CEC), with 99.42% of the votes counted, Grabar-Kitanovic has got 50.42% of the vote and Josipovic - 49.58%