According to the State Election Commission (DIP), the turnout at local elections by 4 pm on Sunday was 32.66%, with 1,172,280 constituents having voted, up one-seventh from local elections four years ago.
DIP president Branko Hrvatin said this was "a relatively very high turnout" by 4 pm.
Election blackout, which began on Friday midnight, ceased as soon as polling stations closed, and results of exit polling can be announced.
Voters were able to elect, at a total of 6,591 polling stations, county prefects, mayors of cities, town and municipalities, and local law-making bodies.
Elected will be a total of 866 members sitting on county assemblies, 51 members of the assembly of the City of Zagreb as well as 2,206 members of city and town councils and 5,343 councillors in municipalities.
A total of 46,324 candidates on 2,982 lists ran in the elections for 21 county assemblies, the assembly of the City of Zagreb, 126 city and town councils, and 427 municipal councils.
They will be elected by proportional representation.
For the first time, 429 municipal mayors, 127 city mayors, 21 county prefects and their deputies will be chosen in direct elections.
A total of 1970 candidates ran in the elections for seats of heads of municipalities, towns, cities and counties.
The winner of a mayoral seat or a prefect seat has to secure 50 percent of the vote in the first round. In case no candidate running for those offices wins a majority vote, the first two candidates will compete in a runoff two weeks after the first round of voting.