He declined to congratulate the winner and insisted that “Milanovic offers nothing”.

Milanovic said he would “offer a hand” to the prime minister.

Presidents in Croatia fulfil a largely ceremonial role – the constitution insists they must not be a party-political figure, but act as the head of state for all citizens.

Milanovic has been a frequent critic of the governing party on issues including corruption, inflation and healthcare.

While he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has also frequently criticised the West’s military support for Kyiv.

Before becoming president, Milanovic was prime minister of Croatia from 2011 to 2016, and led the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) from 2007 to 2016.

He briefly inserted himself into the country’s parliamentary elections last year by announcing he’d be running for prime minister, before a court ruled the move unconstitutional.

In response, he accused the judges of doing the bidding of the HDZ – “the gangster clique”, as he put it.

The governing HDZ has been the dominant party since Croatia gained independence more than 30 years ago.