Chamber:
	Hrvatski Sabor
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	23 November 2003
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all seats in the Zastupnicki Dom on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 17 October 2003, the Parliament (Sabor) decided to dissolve itself, thus officially ending its four-year term and paving the way for elections. Three days later, President Stipe Mesic announced that parliamentary elections would take place on 23 November. The main campaign issue was the economy and the pain of shifting from a centrally planned State system to free market rules. Prime Minister Ivica Racan from the Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP) tried to obtain a new four-year mandate for his ruling coalition in the face of a strong challenge from the revamped nationalist Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) of the late President Franjo Tudjman. The HDZ claimed that the Prime Minister's economic reforms had caused too much pain. In 2000, the alliance of major opposition parties - the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Liberal Social Party (HSLS) - had ended a nine-year period of HDZ domination. The current centre-left government argued that Croatia's speedy accession to the European Union depended on its re-election. (Croatia applied for EU membership in February 2003 and hopes to join the bloc in 2007). Although the Prime Minister had moved the country closer to the West, his government had left many Croatians disillusioned, after failing to revive the economy and improve living standards (following his economic reforms, the average monthly wage was $625 and unemployment was running at about some 15 per cent). On the other side, the HDZ claimed it had reformed from its more isolationist and nationalist policies of the past that repelled the West and was ready to make Croatia a part of the EU. The new Government will face EU pressure to co-operate more with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), and to do more to bring about the return of thousands of Serb war refugees. The HDZ, which led Croatia to independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, has bitterly opposed the Tribunal's prosecution of Croatians. Some 4 million people were entitled to vote, including some 400,000 Croats who live outside the country. Nearly 62 per cent turn out to vote. The results showed that the HDZ had obtained a clear victory with some 34 per cent of the votes and 66 out of 152 seats. The SDP with its allies won 22 per cent of the votes and 43 seats, while the Croatian People's Party (HNS), together with two regionalist parties, obtained eight per cent of votes and 11 seats. The Croatian Peasant Party (HSS) took nine seats, while the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) in coalition with the Zagorje Democratic Party (ZDS), obtained eight, the remaining seats going to other parties and organisations representing the minorities. On 9 December 2003, President Mesic invited Mr Ivo Sanader, leader of the HDZ, to form a government. Two weeks later, on 23 December, Parliament approved a minority government with Mr Sanader as Prime Minister.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (23 November 2003): Elections results
Number of registered electors	4 087 553
Voters	2 520 008 (62 %)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	41 041
Valid votes	2 478 967

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	Votes	%
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)	840 692	33.91
SDP-IDS-SLD-LS	560 593	22.61
HNS-SBHS-PGS	198 781	8.02
Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS)	177 359	7.15
Croatian Rights Party (HSP) - Zagorian Democratic Party (ZDS )	157 987	6.37
Minority groups		5.26
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) - Democratic Center (DC)	100 335	4.05
Croatian Pensioners Party (HSU)	98 537	3.97
Croatian Democratic Peasant Party (HDSS)	24 872	1.00

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)	66
SDP-IDS-SLD-LS	43
HNS-SBHS-PGS	11
Croatian Peasants' Party (HSS)	9
Croatian Rights Party (HSP) - Zagorian Democratic Party (ZDS )	8
Minority groups	8
Croatian Social Liberal Party (HSLS) - Democratic Center (DC)	3
Croatian Pensioners Party (HSU)	3
Croatian Democratic Peasant Party (HDSS)	1

Comments:
	SDP-IDS-SLD-LS: Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), Party of Liberal Democrats (SLD), Liberal Party (LS) HNS-SBHS-PGS: Croatian People's Party (HNS), Croatian Party of Slavonia and Baranja (SBHS), Alliance of Primorje and Gorski Kotar (PGS)

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	125
Women:	27
Percent of women:	17.76