ZAGREB, 30 May, 2021 - The turnout by 4.30 pm in Sunday's local election runoff was 29.18%, 6.36% less than by the same time in the first voting round two weeks ago, the State Electoral Commission (DIP) said.

Four years ago, the turnout in the local election runoff by 4.30 pm was 27.45%.

The turnout in Zagreb has been 34.33% as against 34% in the first round, 32.3% in Split (33.7% two weeks ago), 21.53% in Osijek (28.7% two weeks ago), and 26.33% in Rijeka (28.2% two weeks ago).

Gospić recorded the highest turnout by 4.30 pm (51.05%), followed by Pazin (38.84%).

Broken down by county, Lika-Senj County has registered the highest turnout (44.03%), followed by Krapina-Zagorje County (40.56%), while Zagreb County and Istria County have registered the lowest turnouts (22.91% and 23.32% respectively).

The turnout in earthquake-struck Sisak-Moslavina County has been 31.4%.

Polling stations close at 7 pm. DIP will release the first preliminary results at 8 pm.

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ZAGREB, 15 April, 2021 - Parliamentary opposition parties on Thursday criticised the government's plan to pay a COVID supplement to pensioners and a tax refund to young people in the run-up to local elections as vote buying.

Arsen Bauk of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) told reporters in the parliament building that the government "has obviously sorted its priorities to ensure the best possible election result" for the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"We support a COVID supplement for pensioners, even before elections. I think the Croatian democracy is mature enough and that this will not result in voters voting en masse for the HDZ," Bauk said.

Homeland Movement MP Stjepo Bartulica said that Prime Minister Plenković often expressed his disdain for populists. "I see a great dose of populism in the timing of this measure," he said.

"We are all equal in Croatia, but obviously some groups are more equal than others, especially with elections coming up. In principle, I am not against helping the pensioners, but the way in which the government runs its policies actually increases cynicism in Croatia," Bartulica said.

Bridge's Božo Petrov noted that the government had promised several years ago that the living standards and monthly incomes of pensioners would rise considerably, suggesting that the measures proposed by the government should remain permanent.

Bojan Glavašević of the Green-Left Bloc said that "the pensioners and young people, as vulnerable groups, need systematic rather occasional assistance."

Unlike the opposition, the HDZ's Ivan Ćelić disagreed that this was an attempt at vote buying for local elections. "Let me remind you that a month before elections the (SDP) government of Zoran Milanović gave away electricity vouchers of HRK 200, which can be seen in the same way as the COVID supplement," he said.

(€1 = HRK 7.5)

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ZAGREB, July 2, 2020 - Social Democratic Party leader Davor Bernardic who heads the RESTART coalition for the parliamentary election, said on Thursday that he expects the Constitutional Court's opinion on the ban on people infected with coronavirus from voting.

"I expect it (the court) to give its opinion in line with the Constitution and that is that all citizens of the Republic of Croatia have to be enabled to exercise their right to vote. That is the only fair and normal thing. The State Electoral Commission (DIP) has to secure those conditions. DIP has to specify the conditions that will apply to people in self-isolation," Bernardic told a press conference.

He called on everyone to consume their right guaranteed by the Constitution. It certainly is not good that people who are infected could come to polling stations, he underscored, however, DIP has to ensure that they can vote.

"That is the point. DIP has to make it possible for every eligible Croatian citizen to vote. That is in line with the Constitution," he said and added that all citizens need to be equal before the law and the Constitution.

Commenting on DIP's recommendations and the regularity of the election, Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) leader Kreso Beljak claimed that nobody had the right to strip citizens of their right to vote which is guaranteed in the Constitution.

"Why was the election called, when they knew what the situation was? That was the risk HDZ took and now they would like to justify that and bar individuals from voting. No, they cannot ban them. They could have held the election when the pandemic was over. They could have done anything. But they hoped to profit from the coronavirus. Well they won't," he said.

Asked whether it was responsible to call people who are infected with coronavirus to go to the polls, Beljak said that the responsibility did not lie with him or anyone in the Opposition who were against the election at this time but that that was the responsibility of those who insisted that the election be held at the height of the coronavirus epidemic and now want to ban people from voting.