Zagreb: Croatia ‘s ruling conservatives said Thursday that talks have already started about the formation of a new governing majority following a highly contested parliamentary election that saw a far-right party emerge as a potential kingmaker.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, who is the leader of the Croatian Democratic Union party, or HDZ, said that the party has contacted some of the potential future partners and more talks will take place on Thursday.
Preliminary results of the vote on Wednesday showed that Plenkovic’s HDZ won 61 seats in the 151-seat parliament, which means the party has to form a coalition government to stay in power.
The main opponent, center-left Social Democratic Party, backed by President Zoran Milanovic, got 42 seats while the far-right Homeland Movement was third, with 14 seats, according to the tally released by the State Election Commission.
Plenkovic offered no details about the potential future alliance. If he remains the prime minister, that would mark his third consecutive term at the post.
“Everything is going well,” he wrote on Facebook. “You will soon know with whom we will form the new majority.”
Plenkovic has faced accusations of corruption as Croatia, a European Union and NATO member, struggles with the highest inflation rate in the eurozone, a labor shortage and a surge in migration.