Croatia ruling party races to form coalition after election win

Andrej Plenkovic, Prime Minister of Croatia, reacts to the preliminary results of the country's parliamentary election, in Zagreb, Croatia, April 17, 2024. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

ZAGREB (Reuters) -Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Thursday his long-dominant ruling HDZ party will announce the name of a coalition partner "very soon", after it won Wednesday's snap election but fell short of an outright majority.

With nearly all votes counted, the conservative HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) won 61 seats in the EU member state's 151-seat parliament, five fewer than the last election and 15 short of a majority, according to preliminary results.