The main opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP) is slightly ahead of Prime Minister Ivo Sanader's ruling conservatives, the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), in Croatian parliamentary elections on Sunday, according to an exit poll.
The SDP led with 34.6 percent, followed by the HDZ with 33.2 per cent, Croatian television announced after polling stations closed at 7 p.m. (1800 GMT) following 12 hours of voting.
The poll was conducted by Puls agency at 400 polling stations on a sample of 35,000 voters.
About 4 million voters are eligible to vote in Croatia's sixth parliamentary elections since its independence in 1991.
Parliamentary elections were conducted in 10 electoral units in Croatia and in two special ones, one for the Croatian Diaspora and Croatian nationals residing abroad, and the other for Croatia's national minorities.
Some 400,000 Croatian citizens living abroad are eligible to vote in constituency 11 covering the Croatian emigrant community from 53 countries.
The Croatian People's Party (HNS) won 6.8 percent, while other parties failed to pass the 5 percent threshold required to enter parliament.
The HNS leader Vesna Pusic said on Sunday evening that according to exit poll it was more likely that the next government would be formed by a center-left coalition.
"The SDP and the HNS form the basis of a center left coalition," Pusic said, adding that the SDP and the HNS were natural partners.
The National Electoral Commission is due to release preliminary results on Sunday evening.
The Croatian constitution stipulates that the unicameral parliament can have no less than 100 and no more than 160 deputies. Parliament members will be elected on the basis of direct, universal and equal suffrage for a four-year term.
Source: Xinhua
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