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| Croatia votes for new parliament | Croatia votes for new parliament |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Croatia has begun voting for a new parliament which is expected to lead the country into the European Union. | |
| More than four million people can vote, with polls predicting a tight race between ruling conservatives and opposition Social Democrats. | More than four million people can vote, with polls predicting a tight race between ruling conservatives and opposition Social Democrats. |
| Voters in more than 50 countries are taking part as a significant proportion of the electorate - 400,000 people - lives abroad. | Voters in more than 50 countries are taking part as a significant proportion of the electorate - 400,000 people - lives abroad. |
| This expatriate vote is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome. | This expatriate vote is expected to play a decisive role in the outcome. |
| Opinion polls give a slight lead to the Social Democrats whose new leader, Zoran Milanovic, appeals to young, urban voters. | Opinion polls give a slight lead to the Social Democrats whose new leader, Zoran Milanovic, appeals to young, urban voters. |
| The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) counts on the votes of older and more rural population and on the extra seats reserved for the Croatian diaspora. | The ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) counts on the votes of older and more rural population and on the extra seats reserved for the Croatian diaspora. |
| Neither party is expected to win an outright majority, and a new government could only be formed after post-election coalition talks. | Neither party is expected to win an outright majority, and a new government could only be formed after post-election coalition talks. |
| Ahead of the ballot a key point of contention has been the right to vote of Croatians living abroad, especially those in neighbouring Bosnia, where a third of a million people are eligible to take part in the Croatian election. | Ahead of the ballot a key point of contention has been the right to vote of Croatians living abroad, especially those in neighbouring Bosnia, where a third of a million people are eligible to take part in the Croatian election. |