Croatia’s ruling HDZ set to win parliamentary vote

World

Photo by Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock.com

Croatia’s ruling center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) looks set to win the parliamentary election held on Sunday, at a time of rising coronavirus infections and a sharp economic downturn due to the pandemic, exit polls showed, according to Deutsche Welle. 

Current Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković looked to have secured a second term. Photo by Alexandros Michailidis / Shutterstock.com

HDZ was slated for 61 seats in the 151-member parliament, followed by 44 from their main rivals in a center-left coalition led by the Social Democrat Party, according to an exit poll from Ipsos agency.

The far-right Homeland Movement was projected to win 16 seats. Two smaller parties, Mozemo (We Can) and MOST (Bridge) were expected to grab eight seats each.

Support of former singer Miroslav Skoro’s far-right Homeland Movement, which is seen as a natural partner for the HDZ, could be crucial for either party to form the next government.

Opinion polls had predicted a close election race, with neither Prime Minister Andrej Plenković’s HDZ nor the SDP likely to win a majority. Hoping to capitalize on what appears to be a good performance in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, Plenković moved the election a few months forward. Experts say he also wanted to hold elections before the coronavirus’ economic fallout is fully felt by the public.

Voters were advised to wear masks and stay away from the polling stations if they were feeling sick. They were also told to bring their own pen, Deutsche Welle adds.

Number of Thefts in Capital Edges Higher in 2023 Figures

Number of Thefts in Capital Edges Higher in 2023

Magyar Drops Audio Suggesting Gov't Meddling in Corruption C... Government

Magyar Drops Audio Suggesting Gov't Meddling in Corruption C...

Yettel to Wind up Network Upgrade in 2024 Telco

Yettel to Wind up Network Upgrade in 2024

Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency to Host Summit Drinks

Hungarian Wine Marketing Agency to Host Summit

SUPPORT THE BUDAPEST BUSINESS JOURNAL

Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For 27 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.
Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.