On 2 January, to the surprise of many, first election projections showed him as winning 2nd place, knocking the government's candidate Jadranka Kosor out of the race.
Immediately, many commentators began to interpret his success as a protest vote against the Croatian political establishment, engulfed in corruption and being notoriously inefficient.
Few hours later, new projections, based on the votes cast by Croatian citizens in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, brought Jadranka Kosor to the 2nd place.
[1] He called supporters to demonstrate on streets over the alleged fraud, inspired by the, at the time current, Orange Revolution in Ukraine.
[3][4] He continued to pursue Croatian politics, announcing his candidacy in local elections, including those for Zagreb City Assembly.