Addressing the presentation of Jasen Mesic's campaign for the 17 May local elections, the HDZ leader Ivo Sanader said that although the forthcoming polls were not a general election, a vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) would mean a vote for the party which proposed the elimination of religion classes from schools, demanded a referendum on Croatia's NATO membership bid and offered the Racan-Drnovsek agreement on the Croatian-Slovene relations.
"Those voting for SDP candidates on 17 May must know that they are voting for the policy which intended to evict religion classes from schools," Sanader said at the event held in Zagreb.
He recalled that it was the SDP which advocated the revocation of the right of Croats in the Diaspora to vote in Croatia's elections and the introduction of taxes on real estate.
Jasen Mesic's deputies on the slate are Darko Vuletic of the HSS and Darinko Kosor of the HSLS.
Mesic said that the slogan of his campaign was "For Zagreb without Godfathers" alluding to allegations that the current mayor, SDP Milan Bandic, and his close aides, some of whom are in godfather and family relationships, are involved in murky business dealings.
The HSLS and HSS leaders, Djurdja Adlesic and Josip Friscic, addressed the event.