Croatia: polling stations open for political elections

In Croatia, at 7 am (same Italian time), the seats for the parliamentary elections were opened, which take place in an atmosphere tense for the significant recovery of the coronavirus epidemic that could affect the turnout, and in total uncertainty on the outcome of the vote. Yesterday the country registered 86 new infections, one of the highest numbers since the beginning of the epidemic, while 798 patients with active infection are present. As well as the 5,000 people in self-isolation, they are allowed to vote but respecting a series of very strict precautionary measures.
    The latest polls gave the two main political forces, the conservatives of outgoing Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, and the large center-left coalition, led by Davor Bernardic's Social Democrats, practically aligned, with 30 per cent of the consensus each. Behind them, credited with 12% of the votes, there is a grouping of sovereign and nationalist formations led by the well-known singer Miroslav Skoro. The 3.8 million voters will elect the 151 deputies of the Zagreb parliament with a proportional system and a 5% barrier. Eight seats guaranteed to ethnic minorities, including the Italian one, and three to the Croatian diaspora. The polls will remain open until 7pm, and exit polls will be released immediately after. For the health emergency, all seats must comply with strict hygiene and prevention measures, with the obligation for staff to wear masks. For voters it is not mandatory, but strongly recommended to wear a mask and its own pen.