Croatian Democratic Union

Polling stations opened at 7am for just under 3.8 million voters who have an opportunity to cast votes for parliament for the second time in Croatia in ten months.

Voters in Croatia and abroad - diaspora and Bosnian Croats - can choose from among 177 lists of parties, coalitions and individual candidates for 12 constituencies.

As Croatian voters prepare to cast votes in early parliamentary elections on Sunday for the second time in ten months, surveys suggest neither the centre-left People's Coalition nor the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, will emerge as the clear winner.

Bosnian Croats will likely again lend mass support to the main right-wing Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, in Sunday's parliamentary elections in Croatia, an expert told BIRN, although their participation in elections in the country has fallen in recent years.

Parties competing in in Croatia's parliamentary election campaign are making good use of Smartphone apps and social networks advertising to get the votes out.

With elections set for Sunday, some parties, like the leading centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, have made a point of motivating voters, especially younger ones, through apps.

Bozo Petrov, vice prime minister and president of the junior government party, Bridge of the Independent Lists, MOST, said on Friday that his ministers and MPs will vote to impeach Tomislav Karamarko, Vice-Prime Minister and president of the leading government party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

Bosnian parties are asking the State Electoral Commission CIK for extra time to reach an agreement on reforming the electoral statute of Mostar and organise local elections in the city, after the state parliament failed to approve reforms to its electoral law at its last session.

Croatia's Commission on Conflicts of Interest has unanimously ruled that President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic undermined the credibility of her office by depositing her unspent election campaign money in the account of her former party, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

Bosnia's parliament will vote at the end of April on a draft law proposed by the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZBiH, which may represent the last chance this year to reform the electoral law in Mostar and organise local elections in the southern city.

Experts worry that Zoran MIlanovic's comfortable victory of his fourth term as party president of Croatia's strongest opposition party, the centre-left Social Democratic Party, SDP, may signal a monopoly of power within the party.

Croatia's new centre-right coalition government is experiencing growing tension between the dominant Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, on one side and the Bridge of the Independent Lists, MOST, and Prime Minister Tihomir Oreskovic on the other.