Centre-right Wins Croatia’s First EU Elections

The alliance formed by the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, Croatian Peasant Party, HSS, Croatian Party of Rights Dr. Ante Starčević, HSP AS, and three other minor parties won 41.42 percent of the vote.

Its win gives the grouping six of the 11 seats in the parliament reserved for Croatia, which joined the European Union on July 1 last year.

A centre-left coalition formed by the ruling Social Democratic Party of Croatia, SDP, Croatian People’s Party – Liberal Democrats HNS, Istrian Democratic Assembly, IDS, and Croatian Party of Pensioners, HSU, won 29.93 percent of the vote and four seats.

Croatian Sustainable Development, ORaH, a new green and left-wing party won 9.42 percent of the vote to claim one seat.

“We are a party existing for only six months and I think this is a sensational result,” party leader Mirela Holy said.

The State Electoral Commission reported an official turnout of 25.25 per cent of 3,767,343 registered voters.

HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko said his party’s triumph was “yet another victory” but added that it was “not a time for euphoria”.

Prime Minister and SDP leader Zoran Milanović, said in a brief statement that his coalition “listens to their citizens and takes a lesson from the election results”.

The left-wing Croatian Labourists – Labour Party suffered the biggest disappointment, winning only 3.4 percent of the vote. Its leader Dragutin Lesar resigned on Sunday, taking full responsibility for the result.