The government has been more cautious in its criticism, instead targeting the wider left bloc.

With 143 members of parliament, that grouping is one seat smaller than Lofven's center- left bloc.

Exit polls from Italy's general election suggest a lead for the centre- left bloc led by Pier Luigi Bersani.

The centre- left bloc in Strasbourg is backing him too to assert the power of the elected parliament over the bureaucracy in Brussels.

With their support Gantz heads a center- left bloc of 57 seats compared to Netanyahu's right-wing bloc of 55.

Although they are regarded as part of the left bloc in the Knesset, it is unlikely they would be part of any coalition government.

The Democratic Party (PD), which led the centre- left bloc that won the lower house but not the senate, had less extensive privatisation plans.

The leaders of the Alliance, which polls show is losing ground to Lofven's slightly larger centre- left bloc, signaled they did not reject a tighter policy.

The November election gave the main opposition conservative HDZ party 59 seats in Zagreb's 151-seat parliament, three more than Milanovic's centre- left bloc.

The centre- left bloc made up of the PD and its leftist allies had 32.3 percent support, the poll by the ISPO institute showed.

The center- left bloc made up of the PD and its leftist allies had 32.3 percent support, the poll by the ISPO institute showed.

His centre- left bloc of the Social Democrats, Greens and Left party has 144 seats in the 349-member parliament, one more than the centre-right Alliance.

Voters delivered a hung parliament in the Sept. 9 election when Lofven's center- left bloc won 144 seats, one more than the center-right opposition Alliance.

How the Left Bloc will vote is still unclear.

In Portugal the Left Bloc has MPs and councillors.

The ruling socialist party governs in minority with support from communists and the radical party Left Bloc.