HNS

The likely result of an upcoming non-confidence vote on Croatia's Science and Education Minister Pavo Barisic is still unclear as both governing and opposition parties voice conflicting views.

Croatia's footballers beat Malta on Tuesday and qualified for the Euro 2016 tournament finals in France, but some fans and media have not been sharing in the sporting enthusiasm - instead, they have been boycotting the team.

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.

Zlatar Violic has resigned in a formal letter sent to Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic on Wednesday. The Croatian government will formally end her mandate during the course of the day.

Croatian Culture Minister Andrea Zlatar Violic was facing dismissal on Monday following reports that auditors found she took money from the ministry account - only to later return it to the budget in instalments.

The case is seen as a test of the centre-left coalition governments' claim to be more ethically moral than its scandal-ridden, right-wing predecssor.

The results of Sunday's elections reflected the current balance in support between the two strongest Croatian parties, the centre-left SDP and opposition centre-right HDZ.

A total of 71,000 voters went to the polls in five Croatian towns and five municipalities, in the second round of early elections for town and municipality mayors.

Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic sought to calm concerns about her views on Bosnia on her first official visit abroad, to Sarajevo on Tuesday.  

After meeting Bosnia's Presidency, members of parliament and the government she sought to cool tensions related to the position of Croats in Bosnia.

The election victory of the far-left Syriza party in Greece on Sunday has given an instant confidence boost to Croatian parties that say they advocate more of less the same policies.

Some spy a political hole opening up on the left, since the governing and nominally left-wing Social Democratic Party, SDP, changed itself into a typical centre-left party.

Sinovcic, who is also president of local football club NK Zadar, was detained on Tuesday morning at his home in the town on Croatia's Adriatic coast.

Six others were also arrested in the same operation, five of them employees of the local tax administration office.

Croatian media have speculated that they are accused of embezzling some 1.3 million euro.