Speaking at his elections headquarters in Zagreb after the State Election Commission announced preliminary results, Mesic said he would call on all citizens, particularly those who stayed at home on election day, to turn out for the second round of voting on January 16.
Mesic said that Croatia would have to decide in the runoff whether it wanted to go forward or backward. "I am offering the 21st century and a modern, democratic and independent Croatia."
Mesic thanked all citizens who had turned out for the vote, particularly those who had cast their ballots for him, "who are sure that Croatia is going in the right direction, towards standards applied in the most developed parts of Europe and the world".