Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic is 1st female president

Croatia has gotten its first female president as conservative opposition candidate, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic on Sunday, January 11, won the country's run-off election by a slight margin.

46-year-old Grabar-Kitarovic won 50.54 percent of the votes to beat incumbent President Ivo Josipovic, who garnered 49.46 percent.

“There is no room for triumphalism ... Let's work for the prosperity of our country,” the former diplomat said after her victory.

“I will not let anyone tell me that Croatia will not be prosperous and wealthy,” she added.

Grabar-Kitarovic’s win is believed to be a sign that Croatia's centre-left government has dropped in popularity due to its failure to end six years of economic downturn in the country.

The former ambassador to Washington will take office as Croatia's first woman president on February 19.