ZAGREB, 30 May, 2021 - Exit polls after Sunday's runoff polls in the biggest cities show that Zagreb will be run by Tomislav Tomašević of the Green-Left Coalition, Osijek's mayor will be Ivan Radić of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), while Rijeka elected Social Democrat Marko Filipović and Split Ivica Puljak of the Centre party.
ZAGREB
In the capital, the mayoral candidate of the We Can! and Zagreb is Ours political groups, Tomislav Tomašević, mustered 68.27% of the vote, and his opponent, Miroslav Škoro of the Homeland Movement (DP) party trailed at 31.73%.
SPLIT
In this southern coastal city, Ivica Puljak of the Centre party won 59.19% ahead of Vice Mihanović of the HDZ with 40.81%.
RIJEKA
In this northern Adriatic port city, exit polls put the SDP's Marko Filipović in the lead with 57.84%, with independent candidate Davor Štimac trailing at 42.16%.
OSIJEK
In the largest eastern city, the HDZ's Ivan Radić won 63.14% of the vote, and his rival Berislav Mlinarević, supported by the Homeland Movement party and the Bridge party, took 36.86%.
The exit poll was conducted by the Ipsos Puls agency and the results were published upon the closing of polling stations at 7 p.m. Sunday when the second round of the local elections was held.
Mayors, county prefects and their deputies are elected by the proportional electoral system, and each municipality, city or county makes one constituency.
A candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote is elected mayor or county prefect. If no candidate receives the required majority in the first round, the first two vote-getters face off in a runoff in two weeks' time. The first round of voting was held on 16 May.
The State Election Commission (DIP) is expected to publish preliminary estimates of the runoff's outcome at 8 pm Sunday.
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