Zagreb mayor vie for Croatia's presidency

Bandic is running as an independent as he was excluded from the SDP when he announced his candidacy for the December 27 elections.

A law expert from the country's main opposition Social Democrats and the powerful Zagreb mayor lead the race for Croatia's presidency, an opinion poll showed Monday, less than two months before the vote.

Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Ivo Josipovic, who also composes classical music, was backed by 17.1 percent of 2,000 people questioned, the poll published by the Jutarnji List daily said.

He was closely followed by populist Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic, who had 15.2 percent support, according to the poll conducted by the GfK agency.

Bandic is running as an independent as he was excluded from the SDP when he announced his candidacy for the December 27 elections.

A former member of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), Nadan Vidosevic, also running as an independent, came third with 11.9 percent, followed by the official HDZ candidate Andrija Hebrang, on 9.0 percent.

So far around a dozen people have said they will run in the elections for a successor to incumbent Stipe Mesic. The list of those eligible will be published on November 18.

The 74-year-old Mesic has held the post since 2000. With two election victories under his belt he must stand down, in line with the constitution which allows a maximum of two five-year mandates.

If one candidate does not secure more than 50 percent of the vote a run-off, which is very likely, will be held on January 10.

Mesic succeeded Croatia's first president Franjo Tudjman, who led the country with an iron fist throughout its 1991-1995 war for independence from Yugoslavia and died in 1999.

Mesic contributed to transforming Croatia into a parliamentary democracy and ended its international isolation caused by Tudjman's autocratic regime.

A total of 4.4 million people are eligible to vote in the elections, including more than 400,000 living abroad, mostly in neighbouring Bosnia.