ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - Senior Social Democratic Party (SDP) official Zdravko Tomac said on Friday he had resigned from the party and would continue participating in political life as a non-party politician.
ZAGREB, Sept 26 (Hina) - Senior Social Democratic Party (SDP)
official Zdravko Tomac said on Friday he had resigned from the party
and would continue participating in political life as a non-party
politician. #L#
Speaking at a press conference, Tomac announced he would compete in
forthcoming parliamentary elections in the Zagreb constituency as
a representative of the Forum of Croatian Concord.
Stressing that he had not changed his political views, he said he
was not the kind of politician who would renounce his ideas for
personal gain, power or an influential position.
Tomac said he had stated reasons for his resignation in a letter to
SDP president Ivica Racan. He said he was proud of what he and other
members of the SDP leadership had achieved since 1990, but
criticised the party for its failure to remove "those who cannot
show clean hands".
Tomac criticised the SDP for failing to improve the economic
situation in the country and for allowing the Homeland War to be
criminalised.
As the main reason for his resignation, Tomac cited his
disagreement with the party to be in "a forced coalition" with the
Croatian People's Party (HNS) in Zagreb. The policy of the HNS is
contrary to the platform on which the SDP won the election, he
added.
Tomac said he was the only member of the party to strongly oppose the
appointment of Ivo Banac of the Liberal Party (LS) as minister for
the environment because of "his views during the creation of the
Croatian state".
"Many times I have voted against my conviction, because that's the
fate of a party member, but now I want to be able to vote in
parliament as an independent candidate on the basis of my moral
responsibility," Tomac said.
Asked why he had resigned before elections, Tomac said he was a
responsible person who wanted to complete his term of office. He
added that another reason why he delayed his resignation until now
was the ill health of deputy Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic.
Tomac was a member of the SDP main board, and as an SDP member of
parliament he also held the posts of parliament vice-president and
president of the foreign policy committee.
(hina) vm