(ANSA) - ROME, JUNE 29 - Croatia is approaching the general
election next Sunday amid growing tension due to the strong
growth in coronavirus cases. Uncertainty about the outcome of
the vote remains high, as there is substantial equality between
the two main political sides. Many parties, including the main
opposition force, a large center-left coalition, have suspended
all pre-election activities involving direct contact with
voters. Some question the legitimacy of the election, arguing
that many citizens would desert the polling stations, whereas
for those in self-isolation it is unclear whether they will be
able to vote. According to polls, the center-left coalition, led
by Davor Bernardic's Social Democrats, would win 29.3% of the
vote, while the conservatives led by the outgoing Prime Minister
Andrej Plenkovic are given 28.4%. The center-left coalition is
slightly ahead with 60 probable MPs, against 56 for the
conservatives. But neither side would reach the majority of 76
MPs (out of 151). For this reason, the result of the nationalist
right-wing, grouped in the Patriotic Movement, led by the famous
singer Miroslav Skoro (11%, according to polls), will be
decisive. Skoro has not ruled out a post-election coalition with
the conservatives but on the condition that Plenkovic, whom he
considers too centrist and pro-European, will resign as prime
minister. The center-left looks to the liberal center (around
3%) and the Greens (5%). Even a "grand coalition" between the
two main political formations cannot be ruled out. The latter
solution, anyway, would be considered if the other post-election
possibilities failed, and in the presence of an intense second
wave of the coronavirus, that would prevent the return to the
polls in the autumn. (ANSA).
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