POLLING STATIONS throughout Croatia have been open as of 7 AM on the tenth parliamentary elections since its independence. The first exit polls will be published immediately after 7 PM when the voting ends.

Today, as well as yesterday, voting will also take place in the Croatian diplomatic-consultant representatives around the world.

151 members of the parliament are being elected, thereof 140 in ten electoral districts in Croatia, three from the diaspora, while eight seats will belong to minorities.

Three million and 860 thousand voters have the right to vote

There’s a great interest for a seat in the parliament with approximately 17 candidates competing for the seat, each being 48.6 years old on average. 

Around three million and 860 thousand voters have the right to choose who will truly spend the next four years in the Parliament Palace in Zagreb. There are 6,999 polling stations in Croatia and 42 countries abroad, where the voting started yesterday.

Around 75,000 people will conduct the elections, and 8,500 observers. There have been some changes regarding the polling stations in Zagreb due to the Zagreb earthquake.

Different rules apply at polling stations due to the coronavirus pandemic

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all voters should adhere to the anti-coronavirus measures recommended by the epidemiologists. For the members of the electoral committee, who cover all polling stations, it means keeping the 1.5 meters distance, wearing masks is mandatory, wearing gloves is recommended, hands should be disinfected frequently, etc.

On the other hand, upon entering the polling station, voters have to disinfect their hands. They are recommended to wear masks and carry their own pen for voting. They have to enter one by one and respect the prescribed distance when entering as well as waiting to enter.

The State Electoral Commission will publish its first results at 9 PM

Voters can use the preferential voting by letting voters use a ranked ballot to circle the name of a candidate to whom they prefer. The candidate who wins at least 10 percent of votes on the list takes precedence over others, regardless of their place on the list.

On Sunday at 9 PM, the State Electoral Commission will start posting the first figures about the election results on its website, and update them every 15 minutes. Data about the voters’ turnout will be posted on Sunday at noon and 5 PM.

After the public and media pressure, the people infected with COVID-19 are allowed to exercise their constitutional right to vote after all 

Finally, after the public and media pressure, it was decided on Friday afternoon that the people infected with COVID-19 are allowed to exercise their constitutional right and vote. After the Constitutional Tribunal’s reaction, the State Electoral Commission decided that the infected will vote with the help of a person of their confidence who will fill in the ballot as instructed by the infected person. The infected people can contact the electoral committee until noon to inform them of using their right to vote.

The instructions for voting at retirement homes have also been relaxed: they don’t have special polling stations, so the elderly from the retirement homes can exercise their right to vote. 

Upon the call from the people in self-isolation, the members of the election committee will come in front of their homes, or, in case of disabled people, they will enter the house with special protective equipment, enabling them to exercise their right to vote. It was published on Friday that 476 out of 5,000 people in self-isolation want to exercise their right to vote. The ones that still haven’t contacted the electoral committee can contact them until noon.

The State Electoral Commission tranquilizes the situation

The State Electoral Commission asked voters to use their right to vote just as in every election so far, despite the epidemic. 

“I ask all voters to use their right to vote, especially because now the state legislature is being elected. The elections are still the holidays of democracy, which doesn’t happen that often,” said the State Electoral Commission vice president Vesna Fabijancic-Krizanic.

She has sent a soothing message to the voters.

“All the prescribed epidemiological measures will be applied in polling stations, so I believe there’s no need to fear,” she pointed out.