BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2020) Croatia will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday with some 3.8 million voters ready to participate despite the spread of the coronavirus disease.
The Croatian State Electoral Commission has registered 3.85 million voters who will vote on Sunday at almost 7,000 polling stations across the country and abroad (voting started on Saturday at some foreign locations).
The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia ruled on Friday that all Croatians, including those sick with COVID-19, must be given an opportunity to vote. Voters will have to wear face masks and gloves at polling stations and follow social distancing guidelines.
Voters will be able to choose from among 192 lists of parties, coalitions and individual candidates for 12 Constituencies. Eight seats in Hrvatski Sabor (parliament) are guaranteed to national minorities and three to the diaspora. There are a total of 151 seats.
According to the latest pre-election surveys, Croatia's two main parties, the ruling conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) and the center-left Social Democrats (SDP), will be the top two contenders for parliament seats. According to a Thursday RTL television survey, the SDP-led Restart coalition will win 56 seats in Hrvatski Sabor, while HDZ will get 55 seats.
Croatia has a total of over 3,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and the country's COVID-19 death toll stands at over 100. More than 2,100 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Croatia. On Friday, Croatian authorities reported 96 new coronavirus cases and two new coronavirus-related deaths.
