Picula's candidacy is the second from among SDP ranks, with Zoran Milanovic, chairman of the Executive Committee, being the first to announce his candidacy last Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in the SDP offices, Picula said that if he were to be elected SDP president, he would gather a team wishing and capable of contributing to making Croatia stronger, which he said was burdened by economic and other problems.
Picula wants to systematically consolidate the party after the departure of Ivica Racan from the post of party president, and continue strengthening the SDP as the main Social Democratic party in Croatia.
Asked if the Main Committee should back the candidacy of only one or more candidates, Picula said that the politically most convincing conduct would be for the Main Committee to back a single candidate, but he did not oppose the Committee proposing more candidacies if it established that there were more good candidates.
Asked if the party's president should also be its candidate for the post of prime minister, Picula said he would not mind if the two functions were separated.
"This year we must win one of the most important election races, and I recall Racan's statement at the 1996 election convention that when push comes to shove, we must show the most strength".