Croatians set to elect new centre-left government

Croatians vote Sunday for a new government that will lead them into the European Union in 2013, in elections set to see a centre-left coalition oust the corruption-plagued conservatives. Only five days after the vote Croatia will sign a European Union accession treaty, enabling it to join the 27-nation bloc on July 1, 2013. The latest surveys show a four-party coalition, led by the Social Democrats (SDP), is set to win an outright majority in the 151-seat assembly. But the SDP head and likely new prime minister Zoran Milanovic will face a difficult task of guiding the country's economy out of a crisis amid a fragile European environment. Croatia, independent since 1991, has been in recession for most of the past three years and unemployment stands at over 17 percent. The central bank says economic growth was only 0.5 percent this year. The former Yugoslav republic has to undertake structural reforms, notably of its generous welfare system and inefficient public administration. During the campaign, Milanovic, 45, refrained from making any grand election promises, as surveys show Croatians' confidence in politicians is extremely low. The former diplomat, who has been leading the SDP since 2007, had warned Croatians that "it will be difficult to get through the next year." "We are not sure what is awaiting us. Sweat definitely-- but I believe without blood and tears-- and a lot of uncertainty," he said. However, Milanovic vowed to lead the country in a "more honest and efficient way".The remarks were a thinly veiled swipe at the ruling HDZ which has been in power almost continuously since the country's independence. Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor stepped up an anti-graft fight, a key demand for Croatia's EU bid, to see it boomerang back to hurt her own party. Her powerful predecessor Ivo Sanader is on trial for corruption while the party itself is being investigated over alleged use of slush funds. More than 4.5 million Croatians are eligible to vote. Some 10 percent of them, traditional HDZ supporters, are living abroad mostly in neighbouring Bosnia, and started to cast ballots on Saturday. Polling stations open at 0600 GMT and first partial official results are expected at 2000 GMT on Sunday.