Croatian nationalism

The lowest-ever turnout in Croatia in the elections held on September 11 should be seen "as an expression of the feeling of citizens that there is not as much power in politics as there used to be", Zagreb Political Sciences Professor Dejan Jovic said.

Milorad Pupovac, leader of the Croatian Serbs and a national minority MP in the Croatian parliament, told BIRN that he is ready to join a potential government led by the Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, which won most seats in the recent elections.

Croatia's victorious centre-right Croatian Democratic Union - whose leader has made much of his move to the centre ground - has nevertheless slipped a few combative right-wingers into the new parliament.

BELGRADE - Croatia's ruling conservatives have won the country's snap parliamentary elections, but did not take enough seats to rule without coalition partners.

Nearly complete results show the conservative Croatian Democratic Union - HDZ - winning 61 seats in the 151- member parliament.

After Croatia's State Election Commission counted all the votes from the general election, the centre-right Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, has emerged as the clear winner with 61 seats.

The centre-left People's Coalition came second with 54 seats followed by the centre-right MOST [Bridge], party, which won 13.

According to the preliminary results on Monday morning, the HDZ party will have 61 seats in Croatia's parliament after Sunday's early elections.

The People's Coalition gathered around the SDP party will have 54, while the Most ("Bridge") coalition will have 12.

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.

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.

The leader of Croatia's HDZ party has confirmed that a decision on Serbia's ruling SNS party bid to join the EPP has been postponed.

But in a statement for the N1 broadcaster, Andrej Plenkovic denied this was done in order to help his HDZ win more right-wing votes in Croatia's early parliamentary elections on Sunday.

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.