Friday is the last day during which local election participants can convince voters that they are the right choice for executive or representative government, and collect donations from donors.
At midnight from Friday to Saturday, the election silence begins ahead of Sunday's local elections, and the deadline for political parties and candidates to collect donations for their campaigns ends.
Parties and candidates, from Istria to Slavonia, planned final activities and messages for Friday, and voters will decide on Sunday how convincing they were.
Election silence lasts all Saturday and Sunday until 19 pm, and during that period, public presentation of election programs, persuading voters who to vote for, publishing assessments, as well as previous, unofficial election results, etc. are prohibited.
31.082 candidates ran for municipal and city councils, county assemblies and the Zagreb City Assembly, mayors, county governors and their deputies, which is 7770 fewer than four years ago.
Sunday's elections have already been decided in seven cities and 112 municipalities, as only one candidate has run in each. The composition of 35 municipal councils is also known, for which only one list has been presented.
Most of the pre-known mayors and heads are from the HDZ ranks, and HDZ councilors sit in 29 of the 35 pre-known councils.
Municipal heads, mayors and county prefects are elected by majority vote; to be elected, they must receive more than 50 percent of the votes cast, or 50 percent plus one vote.
If neither candidate succeeds on Sunday, a second round of elections will be held in two weeks, on June 1st, with the two candidates with the highest number of votes entering. The candidate who receives the highest number of votes will be elected as the mayor, chief, and county prefect.
Members of councils and assemblies are elected by a proportional electoral system, in such a way that the entire territory of a municipality, city or county constitutes one electoral unit. Lists that receive at least five percent of valid votes may participate in the distribution of seats in councils or assemblies.
Unlike all other elections, in local elections, voters can only vote in their place of residence, not in any other place, whether in Croatia or abroad.
Croatia has 576 local units, including 428 municipalities, 127 cities and 20 counties. Zagreb has the special status of a city and county.
Photo: HINA/Snjezana Klaric
