Budapest, 17 April 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Prime Minister Andrej Plenković's conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) is likely to be the strongest force in the country's parliamentary elections on Wednesday, according to exit polls.

Three Croatian broadcasters unanimously reported that HDZ was in first place with 58 parliamentary seats out of a total of 151, followed by the left-liberal opposition coalition, known as the Rivers of Justice, with 44 seats.

A few hours before the polling stations closed, voter turnout was 50.6%, 16 percentage points higher than at the same time in previous elections.

Meaningful partial counting results were expected later in the evening.