Electoral Commission Presents Results of November 23 Parliamentary Elections

ZAGREB, Dec 3 - The State Electoral Commission published the results of Croatian parliamentary elections that took place on November 23.

Speaking at a press conference, Commission Chairman Ivica Crnic said that the results would be officially declared final after the expiry of deadlines for complaints and published in the Official Gazette. A new parliament must be formed within 20 days of publication of the election results in the Official Gazette.

According to the election results, the Croatian parliament, or the Sabor, will have 152 seats which will be filled by 140 representatives elected on party lists in 10 constituencies, four representatives elected in constituency no. 11 for the expatriate community, and eight representatives of ethnic minorities elected in constituency no. 12.

The voter turnout was 59.59 percent, or 68.67 percent of voters who cast their votes in the 10 constituencies in Croatia.

There were 4,371,432 registered voters, and 2,604,889 ballots were cast, while 60,169 ballots, or 2.31 percent, were declared invalid.

The largest number of seats, 66, was won by the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), followed by the coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Libra, the Liberal Party (LS) and the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), with 43 seats.

The coalition of the Croatian People's Party (HNS), the Croatian Party of Slavonia and Baranja (SBHS) and the Alliance of Primorje and Gorski Kotar (PGS) gained 11 seats; the Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) nine; the coalition of the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) and the Zagorje Democratic Party (ZDS) eight; the coalition of the Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) and the Democratic Centre (DC) three; the Croatian Pensioners Party (HSU) three; and the Croatian Democratic Peasant Party (HDSS) one.

The HDZ won 43.42 percent of the seats, the SDP-led coalition 28.29 percent, the HNS-led coalition 7.24 percent, the HSS 5.29 percent, the HSP/ZDS coalition 5.26 percent, the HSLS/DC coalition and the HSU 1.97 percent each, and the HDSS 0.66 percent. The representatives of national minorities won 5.26 percent in total.

Nearly half the newly-elected members of parliament are between 40 and 50 years of age, and 17.76 per cent of MPs are women.