Initial results of Croatia vote show conservatives' lead

Initial results of Croatia's early elections have shown that the conservatives were leading the vote, but won't be able to rule on their own, paving the way for another coalition government in the European Union's newest member state.
With more than half of the ballots counted, Croatia's state election authorities said early today that the conservative Croatian Democratic Union, or HDZ, have won 62 seats in the 151-seat parliament, while rival left-leaning People's Coalition won 53. Third-placed are kingmakers Most, or Bridge, with 12 seats.
Although incomplete, the results are not expected to change dramatically until the full count later today.

If confirmed, the results will present a major success for the HDZ party, which also led the previous right-wing government that collapsed in June after less than six months in power, triggering the worst political turmoil in the country since it joined the EU in 2013.
"After such a victory, we are the party that will have a chance to form a stable, future Croatian government in the next four years," HDZ leader Andrej Plenkovic said. "We have shown that we have regained the trust of our voters."
The election outcome comes as a major blow for Croatia's left-leaning Social Democrats, the main party in the People's Coalition, who were leading the polls ahead of the elections, but apparently have failed to capitalize on the political crisis created by their opponents in order to win the election.

The Social Democrats leader, former Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, expressed regret over the results and expressed hope that the next government will be formed soon, saying that the instability of the past several months must not be repeated.

"Unfortunately, this was not a happy day for Croatia," said Milanovic, adding "But Croatia needs a stable government now, whoever may be part of it."
The previous Croatian government was formed after an inconclusive election last November following weeks of negotiations between the HDZ and Most. It fell because of bickering within the ruling coalition.
HDZ and the Social Democrats, which is the largest party in the Peoples' Coalition, have been the two dominant parties in Croatia since the country split from former Yugoslavia in 1991.

Croatia had tilted to the right under the HDZ-led government that took over following the inconclusive vote last November. However, in the past few weeks it has sought to remake its image as a centrist party under new leader Plenkovic.
Hours before the polls closed, the turnout among Croatia's 3.8 million voters was nearly 10 per cent less than in November. President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic urged Croats to come out and vote, saying the country's future is in their hands.
"The following months and years are truly decisive for Croatia, and today we have to be serious," he said. "We can't complain later if the outcome of the election is not the way we want it to be.