Croatian Democratic Union

Josipovic and Grabar Kitarovic, the candidate from the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, finished almost neck-and-neck in the contest after the vast majority of the votes were counted on Monday morning, and will now face a second-round run-off for the presidency on January 11.

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Croatia's incumbent head of state Ivo Josipovic and his main challenger, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, will face each other in a run-off presidential vote on 11 January 2015, an exit poll showed on Sunday.

Ahead of Sunday's election, Croatia's presidential candidates have tightened their belts in deference to the economic crisis.

The amounts of money being spent on their campaigns turn out to be markedly less than in the last presidential election.

Ruling SNS party to apply for EPP status

BELGRADE -- The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will apply for the role of an associate member or observer in the European People's Party (EPP), says Jadranka Joksimovic.

Joksimovic is SNS international secretary and minister in charge of EU integration in the current government.

BELGRADE - The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) will apply for the role of an associate member or observer in the European People's Party (EPP), SNS International Secretary and Minister in charge of European affairs Jadranka Joksimovic said.

The Democratic Front, DF, one of the parties that did best in Bosnia's October elections, said it had halted talks with the Party of Democratic Action, SDA, on forming a cantonal government in Sarajevo, accusing the SDA was employing dozens of its own people in the new cantonal administration.

Sefik Dzaferovic, of the [mainly Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, was named president of the House of Representatives, one of two chambers of Bosnia's state-level parliament, in a vote at the first session on December 9.

Grabar Kitarovic, the presidential candidate coming from the strongest opposition party, the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, officially registered her presidential candidacy on Friday.

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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.

Three parties, the [Bosniak] Party of Democratic Action, SDA, the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, and the Democratic Front, DF, signed a coalition programme on November 19, creating a basis for future governments in both the Federation and at state level.