SARAJEVO - Croatia's lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament on Thursday to pave the way for a parliamentary election that must be held within two months.

The election was originally planned for the autumn, but the government opted to hold it before European Parliament polls in June.

Eleven opposition parties, led by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the environmentalist left-wing Mozemo, had filed a formal request for a dissolution following a wave of protests against policies of the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) led by incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

President Zoran Milanovic is expected to officially call the election this week.

The centre-right HDZ has led the government for the past three terms, with Plenkovic as the premier over the last eight years. REUTERS