ZAGREB, May 26, 2019 – The number of voters that went to the polls in Sunday’s European elections is modest but better than five years ago.
The State Election Commission (DIP) said that 9.93 percent of Croatian voters had voted by 1130 hours, which is 2.3 percent more than in 2015.
The turnout was the highest in Karlovac County where 11.36 percent of voters cast their ballots, and the lowest in Zadar County, 8.82 percent, which is still better than five years ago.
Slightly more than 3.8 million Croatian voters in the country and abroad are eligible to vote in elections in which Croatian deputies will be elected to represent Croatia in the European Parliament in the next five years.
A total of 396 candidates on 33 slates are vying for the 12 seats in the European Parliament allocated to Croatia. Thirty-one slates are party and coalition slates while two are independent slates.
Of the 12 deputies to be elected, 11 will go to Brussels immediately after the elections while the 12th will go after Great Britain leaves the EU.
The nongovernmental election monitoring organisation GONG stated on Sunday, that it voting was proceeding in order at polling stations throughout Croatia for the election of 11 Croatian deputies to the European Parliament, that there was a small number of complaints from voters, and the majority of them referred to the breach of the ban of electioneering.
During the voting on Sunday morning, this NGO received reports from several voters about the violation of the ban on campaigning by political parties and candidates during the voting process.
President Kolinda Grabar Kitarović voted in elections for the European Parliament on Sunday, when 12 Croatian deputies will be elected to represent Croatia in the European Parliament in the next five years.
Addressing reporters, the president expressed hope the turnout would be higher than at the last European elections five years ago, calling on citizens, notably young ones to cast their ballots because “this is the best way to help their political options enter the European Parliament.”
“Young people, please, these elections are for you. Go to the polls, cast your ballots because it is important which option you represent and it is important who will represent you in the European Parliament,” Grabar Kitarović said.
The president believes it is too early to introduce compulsory voting in Croatia, namely an effect of laws which require eligible citizens to register and vote in elections, and may impose penalties on those who fail to do so.
“Maybe in a few years,” the president said, underlining that elections are the foundation of democracy.
More news about elections can be found in the Politics section.
