Following the results of the parliamentary elections held in Croatia on Sunday, the ruling Croatian Democratic Community (HDZ) retained the majority of seats. “Croatian voters have shown that they trust the HDZ and the policies we have pursued over the past four years,” Prime Minister Ivo Sanader said before the final results were tallied. According to preliminary data, the HDZ, excluding votes from abroad, received 61 seats in the 152-seat parliament, and its rivals from the Social Democratic Party received 56. Diaspora votes (that’s 400 thousand voters in various countries from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Australia and New Zealand) are able to add five more seats to the CDU. Such a result foreshadows difficult negotiations on the formation of a ruling coalition. Social Democratic leader Zoran Milanovic has already invited possible allies to discussions: “We immediately begin negotiations on the formation of a new government, and I am confident of success.” Croatian President Stipe Mesic was more cautious: “We will see who has more potential to form a coalition.”
