Croatia's national election commission on Thursday called on everyone taking part in the May 16 local election - individuals, companies, and media outlets - to observe the legally proscribed election silence that starts at midnight on Saturday and ends on Sunday at 7 pm, when polling stations around the country will be closed.

The 43-hour election day ban is usually broadly construed and refers to any public appearance of any candidate anywhere. Violations of this ban are subject to fines ranging from 3,000 kuna (€400) for individuals to 500,000 kuna (€66,400) for legal entities like companies, including political parties.

Candidates who are violate the ban may be fined anywhere from 10,000 kuna (€1,330) to 30,000 kuna (€4,000).

(€1 = 7.53 kuna)