ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The Liberal Party (LS) began its third electoral assembly in Zagreb on Saturday by marking the fifth anniversary of its establishment by author and politician Vlado Gotovac. The assembly will elect a new
president among incumbent Zlatko Kramaric, Bozo Kovacevic and Ivo Banac.
ZAGREB, Jan 25 (Hina) - The Liberal Party (LS) began its third
electoral assembly in Zagreb on Saturday by marking the fifth
anniversary of its establishment by author and politician Vlado
Gotovac. The assembly will elect a new president among incumbent
Zlatko Kramaric, Bozo Kovacevic and Ivo Banac. #L#
"Even though the LS is only five years old, the values we have
inherited are much older," said Kramaric, asking how the history of
democratic, civic Croatia could be conceived without Gotovac,
Kovacevic, and Velimir Terzic who, together with Slavko Goldstein
and Franjo Zenko, he said significantly influenced the creation of
a liberal-democratic climate.
The LS assembly was greeted by numerous guests -- presidential
envoy Igor Dekanic, Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party
(HNS), Gordana Sobol of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zrinka
Glovacki Bernardi of Libra, Hrvoje Zoric of the Social Liberals,
Damir Novotny of the Croatian Peasants' Party, Emil Soldatic of the
Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS), Ivan Jarnjak of the Croatian
Democratic Union, Radovak Fuks of the Democratic Centre, Zlatko
Klaric of the Social Democratic Action of Croatia, Vladimir Jordan
of the Croatian Party of Pensioners, Milorad Pupovac of the Serb
People's Council, and Semso Tankovic of the Party of Democratic
Action.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps, unions, and the Iskorak
homosexual association, Budapest mayor Gabor Demszky, and the vice
president of the Citizens' Alliance of Serbia, Sandor Melenk, were
also in attendance.
Speaking about the party's work in the past two years, between
election assemblies, Kramaric said the LS had opted for the
creation of a strong liberal alternative in response to the
damaging and unacceptable bipolarity on the political scene.
The LS maintains programme coalitions are necessary and to that end
has initiated official talks with the HNS, the IDS, and the SDP,
said Kramaric, adding only the latter had not yet answered.
He cautioned that apathy ruled in some local communities and said
the only way to overcome that was to win the elections. There are
still "liberal enclaves" which will ensure that the LS wins at the
next polls, he said.
Kramaric's address was commended, but there was also criticism that
the LS was neglected and in need of a better organisation and
activating the branch network.
There were also assessments that the party had turned to the right
and calls for returning to the electoral principles of Gotovac's
liberalism.
(hina) ha sb