A far-right party emerged on Thursday as a potential kingmaker in Croatia after the governing conservatives finished first in a bitterly contested parliamentary election but fell short of winning enough seats to form a new government.
The HDZ, led by the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, won 61 seats in the 151-member legislature, according to the near-final official tally.
That was more than all its rivals, including Rivers of Justice, a left-leaning coalition formed by President Zoran Milanovic, which won 42 seats to finish second.
The far-right Homeland Movement finished third with 13 seats.
Speaking early Thursday in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, Mr. Plenkovic said his party had “convincingly won” but acknowledged that he would need help from rival groups to form a government and secure a third term as prime minister.
Persons:
Andrej Plenkovic, Zoran Milanovic, Plenkovic, “, ”
Organizations:
Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, Homeland Movement
Locations:
Croatia, Balkan, Yugoslavia, Rivers of, Zagreb, Croatian