Croatian Local Polls Reflect SDP-HDZ Deadlock

The results of Sunday's elections reflected the current balance in support between the two strongest Croatian parties, the centre-left SDP and opposition centre-right HDZ.

A total of 71,000 voters went to the polls in five Croatian towns and five municipalities, in the second round of early elections for town and municipality mayors.

In the small Adriatic island towns of Pag and Hvar, the candidates supported by the SDP won, while in the island town of Korcula and Novi Marof in northern Croatia, HDZ-supported candidates won.

The most newsworthy contest was the second-round run-off for mayor of Dubrovnik on the southern coast, known for its tourism. There the acting mayor Andro Vlahusic, a member of the centre-left Croatian People's Party, HNS, supported by the SDP, won with 50.1 per cent or by a margin of 472 votes.

Although the Croatian supreme court convicted Vlahusic of abuse of office in February 2015 and passed a six-month-long parole sentence, he was able to run for office under the law for the HNS party led by Vesna Pusic, who is also Croatia's foreign minister.

Vlahusic said on Sunday evening that Dubrovnik's voters had expressed their opinion about his conviction by electing him.

"I have defeated the HDZ six times in a row, which speaks for itself. All are pushed from all possible levels to beat me, but they failed. The citizens of Dubrovnik know who I am and what I am," he told national television station HRT.

In four municipalities (Strahoninec, Milna, Petlovac and Caglin), HDZ-led coalition candidates won, while the SDP-led coalition candidate won in the municipality of Gudovci.

HDZ chief secretary Milijan Brkic said on Sunday that "the HDZ is the absolute winner of the elections", adding that Croatian...