ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The Social Democrats (SDP) fiercely debated about the party's results at last November's parliamentary elections but there are no sensational news about conflicts, resignations or replacements, SDP leader Ivica
Racan told reporters on Saturday after a day-long session of the party's Main Committee.
ZAGREB, Feb 7 (Hina) - The Social Democrats (SDP) fiercely debated
about the party's results at last November's parliamentary elections
but there are no sensational news about conflicts, resignations or
replacements, SDP leader Ivica Racan told reporters on Saturday after
a day-long session of the party's Main Committee.#L#
He said the Main Committee unanimously assessed that the SDP was not
satisfied with the results at elections but that it remained a strong
political option. The electoral result is the real reflection of the
performance of the coalition government the SDP led, he added.
The strongest opposition party will focus future activity on
reinforcing its county and city branches to be ready for "coming into
power at the next elections, be they regular or early," Racan said,
adding that the SDP convention, at which a new party leadership should
be elected, was likely to be held in late April.
Racan said the social democratic option had been in power in Croatia
for the first time in the last four years, but added it had been
"faced with the revolt of the right-wing and the antagonism among the
coalition partners because of the SDP's leading position".
The SDP has nothing against the current ruling party, the Croatian
Democratic Union (HDZ), completing its four-year term and continuing
with economic and democratic development to which, he said, "the SDP
contributed in the past four years".
Commenting on media announcements that two SDP Presidency members,
Ivica Pancic and Milan Bandic, would make their mandates available,
Racan said the practice was not to make one's mandate available to the
SDP Main Committee but to tender a resignation. No resignations were
tendered today, he said.
Bandic said that "the responsible people in the SDP never argue via
the media" and that he was among them.
Commenting on today's session, Pancic said there might have been
disagreements in assessments of the party's current situation. He
estimated that if the party wanted to win 30-35 percent of the vote at
the next elections, it should make significant headway, starting from
the next party convention.
(Hina) ha