- Title: Polls open in Croatian parliamentary election
- Date: 5th July 2020
- Summary: ZAGREB, CROATIA (JULY 5, 2020) (REUTERS) VOTERS QUEUING UP IN FRONT OF POLLING STATION VOTERS ENTERING POLLING STATION, DISINFECTING HANDS BEFORE ENTERING VARIOUS OF VOTERS QUEUING INSIDE POLLING STATION, WEARING MASKS (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) DUSKO KOLUNDZIJA, VOTER, SAYING: "I think it is Plenkovic (who will win the elections). He is the one with experience with Europe and that is why it's best if he wins." POLLING CLERK WITH MASK DISINFECTS HANDS OF VOTER AT ENTRANCE OF VOTING ROOM VARIOUS OF POLLING CLERKS WITH MASKS, VERIFYING IDENTITY OF VOTERS, HANDING BALLOT PAPERS TO VOTERS VOTER WALKS OFF TO POLLING BOOTH TO VOTE VARIOUS OF MAN VOTING IN POLLING BOOTH MAN CASTING HIS BALLOT IN CARTON BALLOT BOX (SOUNDBITE) (Croatian) SVJETLANA PREMILOVAC, VOTER, SAYING: "I don't know who will win, it's rather uncertain, but we decided to give a chance to the young this time, although all agendas are similar, but we think when the young people take over, they will somehow implement (those agendas) in a better way." BALLOT BOX, BALLOTS INSERTED IN BOX WOMAN TAKING BALLOT PAPER FROM POLLING CLERK, WALKS OFF VARIOUS OF VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) JOSIP HORVAT, VOTER, SAYING: "I think that the current options, both (the ruling) HDZ and Social-Dems have not brought anything positive. For the last 30 years we could all see what was happening. The third option will be too small to form the government alone, so probably there will be (political) trading again." VARIOUS OF VOTERS CASTING BALLOTS
- Embargoed: 19th July 2020 07:28
- Keywords: Croatia Croatian Democratic Union HDZ Plenkovic Social Democrats election parliament voting
- Location: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- City: ZAGREB, CROATIA
- Country: Croatia
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001CLJ7ZUV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Croatians on Sunday (July 5) went to the polls in a parliamentary election which is likely to see no party win a majority.
Voters attended polling stations wearing masks and disinfected their hands in an election where neither the ruling centre right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) nor the centre left Social Democratic Party (SDP) are likely to win the seats needed to govern alone.
A recent opinion poll gave the HDZ 27% of the vote, just ahead of the main opposition Social Democrats (SDP) at 25%. The nationalist bloc Domovinski Pokret (Homeland Movement), led by popular singer Miroslav Skoro, drew just over 10%.
Plenkovic and SDP leader Davor Bernardic have both ruled out a 'grand coalition', each publicly targeting a haul of 60-plus seats in parliament, with at least 76 needed for a majority.
Plenkovic pledged to continue efforts to raise living standards and integrate Croatia more deeply into the European Union, in part by eventually joining the euro currency zone.
Bernardic, whose SDP heads a 'Restart Coalition' including a few smaller centre-left parties, tried to win over voters by declaring that the removal of as many as 15 ministers during Plenkovic's term in office underscored HDZ incompetence.
(Production: Fedja Grulovic, Michael Fiorentino, Ben Dadswell) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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