The Croatian parliament was dissolved on Thursday, paying the way for a parliamentary election later this year.
One-hundred and forty-three lawmakers out of 151 backed the decision.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic has suggested the vote could be held before European Parliamentary elections between 6 – 9 June.
No date has been set, however.
The decision to dissolve parliament comes as Plenkovic and his HDZ (Croatian Democratic Union) party are facing mounting accusations of high-level corruption from the opposition.
Last month, thousands of protesters rallied in Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, to protest against the government and demand that elections be held as soon as possible.
The prime minister has denied any wrongdoing.
Plenkovic’s ruling conservative HDZ is expected to be challenged by a group of centre and left-leaning parties who have already announced they will run in a coalition.
The prime minister’s party has held power since Croatia gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991.
Croatia is due to hold a presidential election as well by the end of 2024.
The country, home to some 3.8 million people, remains one of the poorest economies in the European Union, surviving largely on tourism along the country’s Adriatic Sea coastline.
It was the latest state to join the bloc, gaining EU membership in 2013.
