The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, is leading in the parliamentary elections. Plenković is a pro-Ukrainian politician.
As of 2:00 PM on April 18, 99.79% of votes have been counted. The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) has secured 61 seats in the parliament out of 151. This is five seats fewer than in the previous elections in 2020.
The coalition led by the opposition Social Democratic Party came second and obtained 42 mandates. The informal leader of the coalition is the pro-Russian President Zoran Milanović.
The right-wing populists from the "Homeland Movement" party secured the third position. They were allocated 14 mandates in the parliament. Conservatives obtained 11 seats, and the left-wing Green movement got 10.
It is worth noting that the elections in Croatia were scheduled after a wave of protests earlier in the year. These protests accused HDZ of corruption. The Croatian Democratic Union has been in power continuously since 1991.
The media point out that the elections serve as a certain test for the government party and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.
The pre-election campaign was accompanied by constant controversies between Plenković and Milanović. The latter was not allowed to run in the elections because he holds the position of president.
Plenković accused the president of taking a pro-Russian stance and opposing the training of Ukrainian soldiers in Croatia.
