Croatia prepares for presidential election

Croatians will go to the polls to elect their third president, who is expected to lead the former Yugoslav republic into coveted membership of the European Union.

Opinion polls show that a successor to incumbent Stipe Mesic, who stands down in February after serving the maximum two five-year terms, will be decided in a run-off with none of the 12 candidates likely to secure more than 50 percent of the vote.

The first election round is scheduled for Sunday, December 27, with the probable second round of voting expected on January 10.

Ivo Josipovic of the Social Democrat Party (SDP) is virtually certain to enter the January 10 run-off, according to the polls which give the 52-year-old an average lead of 15 percentage points over his opponents.

Analysts cite Josipovic's untarnished political career as one of his advantages, but some warn that the law expert and classical music composer lacks political charisma.

According to surveys a tight battle for the second run-off place will be between two independents — controversial Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic and former member of the ruling conservatives Nadan Vidosevic.

Some 4.4 million people, including more than 400,000 living abroad, mostly in neighboring Bosnia, are eligible to choose a successor to Mesic who successfully transformed the country from a nationalist autocracy into a parliamentary democracy.