Croatia to hold parliamentary elections on April 17: president

ZAGREB, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Croatian parliamentary elections will be held on April 17, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic announced on Friday.

Croatian lawmakers voted to dissolve the parliament on Thursday, paving way for the new elections. According to Croatian laws, parliamentary elections must be held within 30 to 60 days from the date of dissolution of parliament.

The ruling Croatian Democratic Union, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, is poised to emerge as the largest party in the coming parliament. However, it is anticipated to fall short of securing an absolute majority and to have to form a coalition government with one or more parties.

Plenkovic has been prime minister since Oct. 19, 2016, the longest-serving prime minister of Croatia since the first multi-party elections in 1990.