ZAGREB (Reuters) – Croatia held elections on Sunday at a time of increasing coronavirus infections and a sharp economic slowdown in the pandemic, with the likely result that it will lead to political negotiations to form a new government.
Croatian Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenkovic casts his vote during the parliamentary elections, amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Zagreb, Croatia, July 5, 2020. REUTERS / Antonio Bronic
The ruling center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has had a slight lead in most opinion polls over its main rival, the Social Democrats (SDP), but neither party can govern alone.
“In these difficult times, for both public health and the economy, Croatia deserves to be led by experienced and responsible people,” HDZ Prime Minister and leader Andrej Plenkovic told his followers this week.
His two main opponents are SDP leader Davor Bernardic and popular singer Miroslav Skoro, whose nationalist and Eurosceptic Domovinski Pokret (Homeland Movement) has taken third place in opinion polls with just over 10% of support, compared to about 30% for the two main parties. .
Voting tables will close at 1700 GMT when exit polls are released. The first preliminary official results are expected around two hours later.
At 0930 GMT, the share was 18.09%, about one percentage point lower than four years ago. The largest number of voters, many of them wearing masks, has been reported in the Zagreb area, while some parts of the eastern part of the country, with recent clusters of COVID-19 cases, lag behind other areas of Croatia.
“My choice is Skoro, as I think his party wants stability and to prevent young people from moving to look for work abroad,” said Ilija Grlic, a voter from the Zagreb area.
The new government will have an uphill task to control the coronavirus as it tries to restore the economy, which is expected to decline 10% this year. Tourism revenue is forecast to drop 70%.
“I think the SDP could be a relative winner, but the HDZ could be the one that eventually forms a (coalition) cabinet,” said Kristijan, a teacher, before casting her vote.
Some analysts believe that the two largest parties may be forced to join forces, as the alternative of trying to form a stable government with smaller partners, such as Skoro’s Homeland or the conservative Most (Bridge) party, can be difficult.
Both Plenkovic and Bernardic have firmly rejected the idea of a “grand coalition”.
Croatia has reported a relatively small number of coronavirus infections (3,000 cases of COVID-19 and around 100 deaths recorded so far), but infections have accelerated in the past two weeks, with the daily number of new cases currently at around 80.
Igor Ilic’s reports; Frances Kerry and Elaine Hardcastle edition
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