Croatian Ruling Party Wins Elections

HDZ won 60 seats in the 151-seat parliament, according to preliminary results from 94.4% of polling stations counted.

A coalition led by the opposition Social Democratic Party would come to second place with 42 seats, while the right-wing Homeland Movement would take third place with 14.

The vote was seen as a test of popularity for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and his HDZ party, which has dominated politics since Croatia's independence from a federal Yugoslavia to collapse in 1991, Reuters reports Clankosova.tv.

The result could also dictate major policies, including the way the Croatian government views the conflict in Ukraine and relations with the European Union. Plenkov supports Ukraine; opposition does not.

Small victory will likely bring a period of political instability to the EU member state, as the main parties seek to form alliances with other factions with different political views.

“HDZ won parliamentary elections for the third time in a row. Since tomorrow we will go towards securing the parliamentary majority so that we will be able to form the government,” said Plenkov after midnight.

HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) had hoped to use the long-term support it has for monitoring Croatia's EU accession, introduction of the euro, and a boom in tourists visiting the Adriatic coastline.

But many have grown tired of the party and its numerous scandals, including the appointment by Plenkovic of a state lawyer known for connections with people involved in corrupt relations, could hurt most of it. Plenkovic denies wrongdoing.

The opposition SDP had hoped for a better result, said its leader, Peja Gerbin.

This is not over. Days, weeks and perhaps months of negotiations are ahead of us and they will result in the change that will make Croatia a better country. We'll start negotiations from tomorrow,” he said.

The State Election Commission said participation Wednesday was 61.83%.

The “Despite the country's final distribution, it is likely that parliament will be more fragmented and coalition negotiations will drag on longer,” said Mario Bikarski, analyst in Eastern and Central Europe at the North-Mulft Maplecroft risk intelligence company.

A minority government -- whether HDZ or SDP-led or SDP -- would be even more unstable and unlikely to extend its full mandate”.