According to returns from 98.01% of polling stations, the opposition HDZ-HSP AS-BUZ coalition won six out of 12 seats designated for Croatian deputies in the European Parliament upon their country's admission to the European Union, set for 1 July.
The State Election Commission (DIP) reported at midnight on Sunday that the slate of the coalition led by the strongest opposition party -- the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) -- which also includes candidates of the Croatian Party of Rights Dr Ante Starcevic (HSP AS) and the BUZ pensioners' party, won 32.93% of the ballots cast in Croatia's first election for its MEPs earlier on Sunday.
The coalition consisting of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and the Croatian Pensioners' Party (HSU) followed with 31.95%. The Labour Party finished third with 5.76% in the election which may enable it to have one seat in the EP.
The whole of Croatia was one constituency in this election.
The turnout was put at 20.79% after 94.92% of ballots were processed.
Three candidates of the HDZ-HSP AS-BUZ won over 10% of preferential votes from voters who voted for that slate. Those are HSP AS leader Ruza Tomasic with 26.53%, who was listed sixth on the slate, and she was followed by second-ranked candidate Andrej Plenkovic of the HDZ, with 15.30% of preferential votes, and the slate's top candidate Dubravka Suica, an HDZ parliamentarian, with 12.82%.
The SDP-HNS-HSU slate's top candidate, Tonino Picula, won 47.17% of preferential votes.
The Labour Party's top candidate, Nikola Vuljanic, mustered 15.14% of preferential votes given to Labour Party candidates.
