Istrian Democratic Assembly

Following his party's defeat in Croatia's parliamentary elections on Sunday, the president of the leading centre-left Social Democratic Party, SDP, Zoran Milanovic, on Monday announced he will not be running in the internal party elections for the leadership that will be held within five months.

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.

Socialist-led People's Coalition and center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) are running neck and neck in Croatia's second snap parliamentary vote in ten months, exit polls suggest.

The People's Coalition, led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and HDZ are tied at 57 seats, both failing to produce a clear majority in the 151-seat Parliament, according to the Ipsos Puls poll.

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.

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.

Croatia's governing centre-left coalition has signed up some new parties as allies for the upcoming parliamentary elections, which will most likely be held between late October and late November.

The main governing party, the centre-left Social Democratic Party, SDP, signed a coalition agreement on Tuesday in Varazdin, in the north of Croatia.

The head of Croatia's left-wing Labour Party, Nansi Tireli, on Friday said the party is close to join the governing centre-left coalition in the upcoming parliamentary elections.