Voters not discouraged by coronavirus, turnout by noon good in Croatia elections

Voters in Zagreb waiting to vote (Photo. HINA/ Dario GRZELJ/ dag)

ZAGREB, July 5 (Hina) – The coronavirus pandemic and restrictions introduced to curb the spreading of the virus did not discourage Croatians from going to the polls on Sunday, with 18.09% of eligible voters having voted by noon on Sunday.

According to data from the State Electoral Commission, 620,000 voters cast their ballots by noon, which is only about 20,000 fewer voters than in the 2016 elections.

Nearly four years ago, 640,000 or 18.7% of voters cast their ballots by noon.

DIP will release updated information on the turnout at 5 p.m.

Earlier in the day, the GONG election-monitoring nongovernmental organisation said that apart from crowding at some polling stations and several complaints by citizens wishing to vote outside their place of residence, the voting on Sunday morning was proceeding normally.

Fifty-five people infected with the novel coronavirus have expressed a wish to vote in the July 5 parliamentary election in Croatia.

Most of them, 24, comes from Constituency No. 4, 16 come from the first constituency, nine from the fifth, four from the seventh and two from the tenth constituency, State Electoral Commission member Slaven Hojski said on Sunday morning.

People infected with the coronavirus will be able to vote with the help of another person of their confidence, who will fill in the ballot as instructed by the infected person and give it to a member of a polling committee who will visit them and collect the ballot without coming into direct contact with the infected person.