On July 15, the representatives of Croatia's ruling coalition in Zagreb set Dec. 4 as the date of the next parliamentary election.

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor told reporters after the meeting that the idea was to hold the vote before Dec. 9, when Croatia is supposed to sign an accession deal with the EU, followed by a Croatian referendum on joining the 27-nation bloc.

The Croatian public has long been waiting to learn the exact date of the legislative election, which was slated for the end of this year or early next year.

Croatian President Ivo Josipovic and the opposition wanted the elections held before the EU membership referendum, which should be held by the end of the year, to avoid voters' sentiments on political parties affecting how they vote in the referendum.

Earlier on July 15, the presidents of Croatia's four major opposition parties, with the Social Democratic Party in front, signed a coalition agreement on running for parliament together in the entire country.

The other three signatories were the Croatian People's Party, the Istrian Democratic Assembly and the Croatian Party of Pensioners.