HEAVY backing from expatriate Croats helped deliver victory by a whisker today to conservative presidential candidate Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

She beat centre-left incumbent Ivo Josipovic by 50.54 per cent to 49.46 per cent in a run-off election.

The vote was always expected to be close, with Mr Josipovic polling 38.5 per cent of the vote in the first round, just edging out Ms Grabar-Kitarovic with 37.2 per cent.

Law professor and classical composer Mr Josipovic conceded defeat, saying that Ms Grabar-Kitarovic had won in a “democratic competition.”

His social-democratic government faces parliamentary elections later this year under a cloud of criticism over its handling of the economic crisis.

The presidency is a largely ceremonial position but the vote was considered an important test for the main political parties before the general election.

Some fear that Ms Grabar-Kitarovic’s triumph could return Croatia to right-wing nationalism under her Croatian Democratic Union, jeopardising relations with neighbours, including Serbia.

The former foreign minister, ambassador to the US and assistant to the Nato secretary-general said that her victory marked “a glorious night for all Croats.”

She added: “I will work for Croatia and I won’t allow anyone saying that Croatia will not be a prosperous country.”

Ms Grabar-Kitarovic accused Mr Josipovic of having done nothing to stop Croatia’s economic downturn or tackle the 20 per cent unemployment rate.

But Mr Josipovic reminded her that presidential duties don’t include government economic policies.

He has proposed constitutional changes to decentralise the country and give more power to regional authorities.