According to preliminary results, the early elections in the eastern city of Slavonski Bord were won by the coalition list of the HSP-HSS-HSLS (Croatian Party of Rights, Peasant Party and Social Liberals respectively). This coalition list won 34 percent of votes i.e. 10 seats in the 25-seat council.
Mustering 21 percent of the ballots, the Croatian ruling party - the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) - will have six seats. This is below its expectations given that the HDZ planned to win more votes in this city with over 75,000 inhabitants.
Another major political party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), also won less votes than it had expected, and it will have four seats in the city council.
The regional party whose acronym is HDSSB, will have two seats just as the Croatian People's Party (HNS).
Before the early polls, the HDZ in coalition with the HSP was in power in this city on the left bank of the Sava river. However, it accused the mayor who was an HSP official of governing the city on his own, which was why the previous council was dissolved and early elections called. The turnout was 50 percent.
In the nearby town of Babina Greda, the HDZ won the elections.
First returns show that, out of 2141 voters who went to the polls, 804 (38.1 percent) voted for the HDZ.
The strongest opposition party, SDP, won the confidence of 21.2 percent of voters.
An independent list led by Pavo Baric came in the third with 12 percent.
Thus, the HDZ will have six councillors, the SDP three, the independent list two and the HSS and the HSP each one in the 13-seat municipal council.
There are 3,544 eligible voters registered in Babina Greda.
Preliminary results show that the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) took the lead with 41.03 percent in the municipality of Donji Lapac near Knin. The second is the Serb Democratic Party (SNS) led by Milan Djukic. The SNS won 39.95 percent of ballots in this municipality with less than 2,000 people. A majority of population are ethnic Serbs (approximately 1,300), and there were 471 Croats according to a 2001 census.
The HDZ won 14.39 percent at the elections, which registered a turnout of 40.41 percent.