He said the times were tough, people were nervous and apathetic and had little patience as they waited for things to change for the better.

He said that when it came to the election results in counties and cities, the balance of forces was virtually the same as four years ago.

"There are certain changes, of course. In big towns the SDP is individually the strongest force, but I can't be too satisfied with the results," Milanovic told the press.

He conceded that the party had hoped to do better in Zagreb, adding that "a clientelistic team has been active in Zagreb for four years which doesn't run the city in a European manner" and that if citizens did not see this, they should elect who they wanted.

The fact that the SDP's slate was the strongest in the Zagreb City Assembly is not satisfying because the party expects more, he said.

"What happened was that considerable advantage was achieved in the first round by the candidate who used to be a member of the SDP until he was ousted, and it is known why he was ousted, so if this is the price we have to pay, we will pay it," Milanovic said, commenting on incumbent Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandic's huge edge in the capital over the SDP's mayoral candidate Rajko Ostojic.

Milanovic said Ostojic was incomparably "better, smarter, more educated and cleaner" and that he realised that the runoff in two weeks' time would be very tough.

Bandic's re-election is not an election for a European Zagreb and has nothing to do with Europe, he added.

Commenting on the results in the coastal city of Split, Milanovic said the option representing a healthy, honest and industrious civil and popular mentality had finally prevailed. "That's what (SDP mayoral candidate) Ivo Baldasar is. He doesn't divide or call for the right or the left to come together, but for Split's citizens to do so and they honoured that in the first round," he said, but added that the job was not over.

He said that in some communities the citizens had elected "the worst of the worst and they will be mayors, but that's democracy."

As for Istria County, Milanovic said the SDP had nothing there. "It had several party members who usurped the SDP seal, didn't act as (branch) presidents of a strong party, so the Presidency took the measures it had to take and now new people are there, worthy of a national Istrian policy. The SDP's results for the County Assembly are four times better than four years ago" when the party won eight per cent in the Istria County Assembly.

Milanovic said that if the situation in Istria was considered like that, the SDP had won a respectable number of votes, convincingly becoming the second strongest party there.

As for the eastern city of Osijek, he said the SDP supported the candidate in the runoff Ivica Vrkic.

Commenting on cooperation with the coalition partners, Milanovic said he was generally satisfied with the relations with the Croatian People's Party (HNS) and the Croatian Pensioners Party (HSU) in this election.

He said voter turnout was solid and encouraging in comparison to the European Parliament election held last month.

Milanovic congratulated everyone who won in the first local election round and wished those competing in the runoff a fair fight.

"People have the right to also elect the worst. As prime minister I will respect that and no one will be denied anything, and we are going on with the reforms."