The inaugural session of the 7th Croatian Parliament may be held before the New Year because deadlines for complaints against election results expire in about ten days, after which there will be enough time for consultations with the President of the Republic and for the appointment of a Prime Minister-designate.
"In the opinion of the State Election Commission (DIP), the inaugural session of Parliament can theoretically be held before the New Year," DIP vice-chair Zdravka Cufar-Saric told press on Monday.
For the DIP, the election work ends with the determination of final election results, and they become final after fulfilment of certain requirements, including the expiry of deadlines for complaints, which can take between eight to 12 days, Cufar-Saric said.
Complaints may be filed within 48 hours of the date of publication of complete results, which has been announced for Tuesday.
A parliamentary majority that appoints a Prime Minister-designate must have 76 seats in the 151-sear Parliament, and the SDP-led Kukuriku coalition won 80 seats in Sunday's vote according to still incomplete results.
The number of seats in the new Parliament has been reduced by two from the previous Parliament following constitutional changes according to which the Croats living outside Croatia will be represented by three MPs instead of five.
