CROATIA: Polls close and vote-counting begins in Croatian elections

Polls close in tightly contested Croatian national election. Exit polls in Croatia's election on Sunday (November 25) gave no sizeable advantage to either of the two main parties. The opposition Social Democrats (SDP) had 34.6 percent of the votes and the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) 33.2 percent, according to exit polls based on a sample of 35,000 voters broadcast by state television after voting ended. If the results are borne out, the SDP would have 62 seats in parliament, and the HDZ 57. However, the HDZ can count on traditional support from Croatians living abroad for few extra seats. First preliminary results were expected at midnight (2300 GMT). Turnout by 4 p.m. (1500 GMT) was 48 percent. The main issues in the election were corruption, economic growth and reforms needed to take the country into the European Union. Both parties have reformist, pro-EU agendas, with the SDP being more insistent on a strong state role in the economy. Neither party is likely to be able to form a government on its own and long coalition talks are possible. Financial markets expect little impact from the election as the country's political and economic agenda is in practice dictated by EU membership talks, which Zagreb opened in 2005. The country needs to reform its inefficient judiciary and bloated public administration, crack down on corruption and cut subsidies to indebted state firms, particularly shipyards, to prepare for competition within the EU.

ITN Source | November 26, 2007

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