ZAGREB, 8 May (Hina) – Croatian voters will go to the polls to elect their local authorities on 18 May  when 6,600 polling stations, which is 28 more than four years ago, are set to be opened.

Eligible voters are electing councils and assemblies of their municipalities, towns and counties, as well as mayors, municipal heads and county prefects.

The highest number of polling stations, 642 and 609, will be opened in Zagreb County and Split-Dalmatia County respectively, followed by the City of Zagreb with 605 stations.

The fewest polling stations have been designated in Lika-Senj County and Međimurje County, with 113 and 158 respectively.

Local elections will take place in 428 municipalities, 127 towns and cities, 20 counties and in the City of Zagreb, which holds both city and county status.

Eligible voters are Croatian citizens who are at least 18 years old and have permanent residence in the administrative unit where the elections are being held. Unlike presidential, parliamentary and European Parliament elections, voters may only cast their vote in their place of residence – not in another location, either in Croatia or abroad.

Interest in local politics continues to wane 

Interest in local politics continues to wane with each new election, as shown by the number of candidates running in the upcoming local elections on 18 May.

A total of 31,082 candidates are standing this year, 7,770 fewer than four years ago.

At the local elections for representative and executive positions in 2017, there were 47,601 candidates, and 12 years ago that figure reached as high as 56,558, according to statistics released by the State Election Commission (DIP).

Compared with the 2013 elections, this year’s candidate count is down by a striking 25,476.