Croatia's conservatives win vote, coalition talks ahead
Croatia's conservative opposition won the country's first election since it joined the European Union in 2013, partial results from November 8's election showed, but its narrow victory meant lengthy coalition talks were likely to follow in the next days or weeks.
The new government will have to nurture a tentative economic recovery after six years of recession and deal with thousands of migrants from the Middle East streaming through the tiny Adriatic state on their way to western and northern Europe.
Preliminary results after counting half of the votes showed Croatia is heading toward a hung parliament, with the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) winning 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament and the ruling centre-left Social Democratic Party and its allies winning 53 seats.
"This victory puts us into position to take responsibility for leading the country. Ahead of us is a struggle to secure a better life in Croatia," the HDZ leader Tomislav Karamarko said.
The conservative alliance HDZ favors a tougher stance than its main rival on the migrant issue, seeking stricter border controls to manage the flow of people crossing the small Adriatic state of 4.4 million.
Some 338,000 migrants have passed through Croatia since mid-September, crossing the border from Serbia at a daily rate of 5,000 or sometimes 10,000.
Few linger in Croatia, one of the poorest EU states where unemployment is at 16%, well above the bloc's 9% average.
Driven largely by economic concerns, the election follows a landmark victory by opposition conservatives in Poland last month. The Polish Law and Justice party pledges to oppose mandatory quotas for relocation of migrants within the EU and echoes the HDZ's nationalist undertones.