"The centre-left coalition, in a landslide defeat of the ruling HDZ, is celebrating at today's parliamentary election, as expected," Slovenia's STA said, carrying a biography of Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Zoran Milanovic, whom the president of the republic will give the mandate to form the new government.

The forecasts came true and the opposition coalition Kukuriku, led by the SDP, clearly won the election, said Austria's APA news agency, adding that the ruling HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) lost voter support due to corruption scandals.

"Whoever does form the next government will have to push through a tough budget to avoid a downgrade in Croatia's credit rating, tackle rising unemployment and pursue the anti-corruption fight," a BBC correspondent wrote, adding that the former prime minister was on trial for corruption and that scandals had implicated other officials too.

This month, Croatia is due to sign an accession treaty with the European Union, but recovery from the recession will be difficult because of the European crisis and a predicted growth of 0.5 per cent, the BBC wrote, adding that Milanovic had vowed austerity measures and that incumbent Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor had refused to seek help from the International Monetary Fund, which Milanovic had not ruled out.

In a difficult economic situation with high unemployment, Croatia decided to put its trust in the centre-left coalition, said Italy's ANSA.

It cited the winner as saying that one would have to work longer and more but that there would be no painful cuts. ANSA recalled that Milanovic took over the SDP after the untimely death of the party's historic leader Ivica Racan in 2007 and that he disregarded criticisms that he was too young and without political experience or contact with voters.

According to ANSA, detractors fear Milanovic lacks the communication skills required to run a coalition and that this would cause disharmony within the government.

All news agencies recalled that President Ivo Josipovic and Kosor would sign Croatia's EU accession treaty on December 9, with ANSA concluding that this would be Kosor's last satisfaction.

The centre-left coalition scored a landslide victory, said France's AFP, quoting HDZ official Vladimir Seks's response that "the war against the HDZ" during the campaign was "waged by all media" in the country.

Voters are disappointed by the HDZ and the majority want changes, AFP said, adding that the new government would inherit a very delicate economic situation, after constant recession since early 2009 and a 17.4 per cent unemployment.

Spain's El Mundo daily carried politicians' assessments that corruption was a major reason behind Croatian voters' dissatisfaction.

That issue has turned into a critical problem in recent years and is crucial to understanding the fall of the ruling party, the daily quoted FRIDE analyst Sofia Sebastian as saying. She added that the Croats were looking for a new beginning, clear of corruption, capable of confronting the economic problems Croatia would have to face in the coming months, the first being to halt unemployment.

Croatia is a victim of the effect of the European crisis, said Spain's El Pais daily, carrying Milanovic's statement that "the country has lived above its possibilities too long."

Milanovic envisages cuts, albeit not excessive ones, and plans to combine saving and activities aimed at boosting tourism, Croatia's trump card. "Croatia sought to turn its back on years of political sleaze and scandal by inflicting a humiliating defeat on the rightwing party that has run the country for almost all of its two decades of independence," wrote the Guardian, adding that "in the past two years has been exposed as the wellspring of state-organised corruption and embezzlement on a massive scale."

"The new centre-left government, including liberals and regionalists, will have to contend with a disastrous economic legacy, with national debt soaring to Italian or Belgian levels, unemployment nudging 20% and a depressed national mood," the Guardian reported, adding that Croatia would sign the accession treaty with the EU in a few days with the hope that EU membership "will trigger an influx of funds and foreign investment."

France's Le Monde listed the corruption scandals which had discredited the HDZ, which ran the country nearly without interruption since 1991. The daily said Croatia's economic situation was difficult and that the centre-left coalition would have to carry out painful reforms, carrying an SDP member's statement that a constructive and peaceful opposition would be necessary to come out of the crisis."