The incumbent president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic and the presidential candidate Zoran Milanovic will compete in the run-off of the Croatian presidential election on January 5 after they gained most of the votes in the first round on Sunday, according to the results of an exit poll released after the closing of polling stations at 7 pm.

Milanovic, a former prime minister and the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), leads with 29.6% and Grabar-Kitarovic, nominated by the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), has 26.4%.

They are followed by independent candidate Miroslav Skoro (24.1%) and MEP and former judge Mislav Kolakusic (5.8%).

The State Electoral Commission (DIP) will release the first incomplete results on its website at 8 pm and will refresh the data in the course of the night.

The other candidates are former Conflict of Interest Commission head Dalija Oreskovic, film director Dario Jurican, economist Dejan Kovac, former MP Anto Djapic, activist and university professor Katarina Peovic, MP Ivan Pernar and former Klanjec mayor Nedjeljko Babic.

Of 124 polling stations out of Croatia, 44 were set up in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Croatian citizens living in Bosnia could cast their vote in Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, Banja Luka, Vitez and Livno.

Because of the time difference, the polling stations in Australia, Japan, China, Indonesia and Afghanistan, where members of the Croatian contingent of the NATO-led Resolute Support mission voted, have already closed. The last polling station to close will be in Los Angeles, where voting ends on Monday at 4 am Croatian time.

The seventh presidential election since Croatia became independent is taking place in Croatia and 47 other countries.