Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja

Center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has a lead on center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP), the first results of a snap parliamentary vote show.

After Croatia's parliamentary elections resulted in no clear winner, the ruling centre-left coalition, Croatia Grows, is seeking to gather a majority in parliament to form a new government.

Croatia Grows, led by the governing Social Democratic Party, SDP, won 56 of the 151 seats in total. The minimum number of MPs needed to form a government is 76.

According to ballots cast and counted at 31 per cent of polling stations in the country, the opposition centre-right coalition led by the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, is ahead of the governing centre-left coalition the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in Sunday's general election.

Despite pleas from the state ombudsman for children's rights, politicians campaigning for this weekend's parliamentary elections have been seeking to endear themselves to the public by posing for photographs with children.

The right-wing Croatian Democratic Assembly of Slavonia and Baranja party has been parading a uniformed party youth unit called the Slavonic Hawk Guard at its election campaign rallies.

Croatian parties have put a number of veterans from independence war of the 1990s on their candidates' lists for the parliamentary elections due in November.

The Patriotic Coalition, led by strongest opposition party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, is putting at least one war veteran on all its lists.

Political experts told BIRN that in the upcoming elections in November, a major role would be played by parties outside the centre-left coalition led by the governing Social Democratic Party, SDP, and the centre-right coalition led by the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

The party formed on Saturday by supporters of Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic has only slim chances of polling well in the next parliamentary elections, experts say.

Bandic is currently in custody being investigated for corruption.

The mayor of the Croatian capital was arrested in October 2014 on suspicion of corruption, abuse of office and influence peddling.

VECERNJI LIST

After a period of negotiating between the centre-left government and other parties on the left, Croatian parliament will pass on Friday a new law on electing members of parliament, introducing some crucial changes.