An initial exit poll in Croatia’s early parliamentary election indicates there will be no clear victor, paving the way for more political uncertainty in the European Union’s newest member state.
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The results reported Monday by Croatia’s state electoral commission showed that the Croatian Democratic Union won 61 seats in the 151-member parliament, while the left-leaning People’s Coalition won 54.
Croatian courts this year quashed a 1946 treason verdict against Alojzije Stepinac – the Catholic cardinal who backed the country’s 1941-5 fascist regime – and the 2010 conviction of far-right ex-deputy Branimir Glavas over the torture and murder of Serbs at the start of Croatia’s 1991-5 war of independence from a crumbling Yugoslavia.
The coalition of HDZ and the new Most (“Bridge”) party, which took over power after the elections, collapsed six months later amid squabbling and conflict-of-interest claims against then HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko.
The political deadlock has stalled economic reform for Croatia’s economy, one of the weakest in the European Union bloc. Orešković’s rule was marred by coalition infighting that ended with the resignation of the HDZ leader and deputy prime minister over controversial business links, and brought global criticism over increasing nationalism that has strained already frail relations with neighboring Serbia.
That has anxious commentators who predict long coalition talks and a weak government.
The Most Party came third with 13 seats.
The conservative party also faces a tough fight from the Social Democrats (SDP), whose leader Zoran Milanovic still hopes of forming the government.
After Croatia’s State Election Commission counted all the votes from the general election, the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, has emerged as the clear victor with 61 seats.
The Social Democrats – or SDP – have failed to capitalize on the political turmoil that accompanied the HDZ-led previous government.
But during campaigning Milanovic sharpened his populist rhetoric after disappointing voters with scant reforms when in power before the ill-fated HDZ coalition took control last November.
Some 3.8 million Croatians were eligible to cast ballots for the second time in a less than year, at a time of economic gloom in the EU’s newest member and strained ties between neighbours in the volatile Balkans.
“It is now up to us to bring stability into the Croatian state and institutions”, Plenkovic said. “We can’t complain later if the outcome of the election is not the way we want it to be”.
Its economy, relying heavily on tourism along Croatia’s Adriatic coast, remains one of the EU’s weakest despite some recent positive indicators attributed to membership of the bloc.
The central bank has forecast growth of 2.3 percent this year.
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Morana, a 27-year-old teacher from Zagreb, said she was voting for SDP.
