Croatia's ruling HDZ party is expected to be on track to win 58 seats in the 151-member parliament, according to exit polls.
Croatia's ruling HDZ party is expected to win Wednesday's parliamentary elections, but with fewer seats and no majority, according to an Ipsos exit poll published on local Nova TV.
The HDZ is expected to win 58 seats in the 151-member parliament, down from the previous 66 seats. However, it will be more than the opposition coalition led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which is expected to win 44 seats, according to exit polls.
The right-wing Fatherland Movement was expected to come in third place with 13 seats.
Croats voted in large numbers in parliamentary elections after a bitter campaign between the incumbent prime minister and a populist president seeking the premiership. Croatia's Constitutional Court had earlier ruled that the president cannot run for prime minister or campaign for any political party unless he resigns. Croatian President Zoran Milinovic ignored the order.
According to the State Election Commission, turnout by 4:30 p.m. (2:30 GMT) was 50.6%, compared to 34.6% at the same time in the previous parliamentary election in 2020. It was 4%. Polling stations closed at 7pm local time (17:00 GMT). .
If confirmed, this result is likely to usher in a period of political instability in European Union member states, as major political parties seek to forge alliances with other factions with different political views.
The showdown between conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and left-wing populist President Milanović comes as the country grapples with corruption, labor shortages, the euro zone's highest inflation rate and irregular migration.
High inflation and corruption scandals over the past eight years have eroded support for the HDZ, which has dominated Croatian politics since independence in 1991.
Milanovic, 57, called the election a “referendum on the future of the country” and called on people to “go vote for anyone other than the HDZ.”
Mr. Milanovic called Mr. Plenković the “godfather of crime” and highlighted the recent appointment of a judge with alleged ties to corruption suspects as the country's new chief prosecutor.
Several of Prime Minister Plenković's ministers resigned following the accusations, and the fight against corruption was key to Croatia's accession to the EU in 2013.
Mr. Plenković criticized the EU's support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion and opposed the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia, a NATO member. ' has been repeatedly criticized.