ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - The State Electoral Commission on Tuesday published the results of parliamentary elections that took place on November 22, 23 and 30.
ZAGREB, Dec 3 (Hina) - The State Electoral Commission on Tuesday
published the results of parliamentary elections that took place on
November 22, 23 and 30. #L#
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.
Complaints may be filed on Thursday and Friday with the
Constitutional Court, which in turn has 48 hours to decide on them.
After all legal remedies in protecting voters' rights have been
exhausted and deadlines for complaints have expired, the election
results will be published in the Official Gazette.
If no complaints are lodged, the election results will be published
after the expiry of the 48-hour deadline for complaints, Crnic
said. He recalled that a new parliament must be formed within 20
days of publication of the election results in the Official
Gazette.
According to the present results, the Croatian parliament, or the
Sabor, will have 152 seats which will be filled by 140
representatives elected on party lists in ten constituencies, four
representatives elected in constituency no. 11 for the expatriate
community and eight representatives of ethnic minorities elected
in constituency no. 12.
Crnic said that the voter turnout was 59.59 per cent, adding that
the previous figure of 68.67 per cent referred to the number of
voters who cast their votes in the ten constituencies in Croatia.
The turnout percentage fell after the results of the vote in
constituencies nos. 11 and 12 were added, because the turnout in
those electoral units was low, he said.
There were 4,371,432 registered voters, and 2,604,889 ballots were
cast in ballot boxes. 60,169 ballots, or 2.31 per cent, 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 per cent of the vote, the SDP-led coalition 28.29
per cent, the HNS-led coalition 7.24 per cent, the HSS 5.29 per
cent, the HSP/ZDS coalition 5.26 per cent, the HSLS/DC coalition
and the HSU 1.97 per cent each, and the HDSS 0.66 per cent. The
representatives of the national minorities won 5.26 per cent 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.
(hina) vm sb