On Sunday, almost 3.9 million Croats have the opportunity to vote for a new parliament, as almost 2,700 candidates from 69 political parties run for 151 seats. But the statistics are the least of the candidates' worries.

The election is happening at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic – on Friday, 96 new cases were reported, equaling the country's single-day record – and the big question is whether the voters will decide to avoid polling stations because of virus fears.

According to opinion polls, it's expected to be one of the tightest races since Croatia's independence, almost three decades ago.

Prime minister Andrej Plenković's center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) is up against a coalition led by the main opposition Social Democrats (SDP). The health crisis and financial uncertainty weigh heavily on voters, who must choose a government that will be faced with rebuilding the economy.

A sharp fall in GDP, mainly driven by a huge downturn in tourism revenue, and rising unemployment have all impacted people's daily lives. The gloomy economic picture will provide a very different backdrop for this election than the previous vote. In Zagreb, CGTN Europe spoke with political commentator Ankica Mamic, who said that optimism is fading.

"Croatia was, four years ago, still an optimistic country. We'd recently entered the EU. We were expecting good to happen. We had a little bit of economic growth, so the people were feeling optimistic."

But it's a different reality today for many Croatians. A small business owner in Zagreb, Djino Kobal sells LED lights, imported from China, but he's struggling to make ends meet.

"During the coronavirus pandemic, we had to close our business. They gave us $600 when we needed $4,500 just to cover the expenses. And they didn't care where I'll get the difference," Đino said. He also said that he had lost confidence in the political elites – but regardless, he's still going to vote.

With neither of the two main parties – the center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) which was the senior partner in the previous ruling coalition, or the center-left Social Democratic Party (SDP) – likely to win an outright majority, nationalist party Domovinski Pokret may become kingmaker. One of its leading candidates for parliament, Igor Peternel, gave CGTN Europe an insight into the party's position on particular coalition possibilities.

"We won't side with the SDP and the coalition of the left. For us, it is an unnatural environment. HDZ leader Andrej Plenković as a person is also unacceptable for us," Peternel said.

Whoever wins on Sunday will likely have to form a coalition before facing the biggest political challenge: pulling the economy out of a coronavirus-induced slump. Voting continues until 19:00 local time (17:00 GMT).