MORANA PALIKOVIC-GRUDEN ELECTED ZAGREB CITY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

ZAGREB, April 25 (Hina) - Morana Palikovic-Gruden of the Croatian People's Party (HNS) was elected president of the Zagreb City Assembly by a majority vote on Thursday. #L# Her appointment was supported by representatives of the Social Democrats (SDP) and the HNS, while the opposition (Croatian Bloc, HIP) voted against. Tomislav Jelic of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was interested in the new assembly president's nationality, to which Vesna Pusic of the HNS said the question was private and below the level of minimal political culture. Palikovic-Gruden's election was preceded by a long debate on the resignation to the office submitted by Velimir Srica at the previous Zagreb City Assembly session. Srica's written explanation of the resignation is an insult to all city representatives, those of the HDZ and the SDP agreed, reproaching Srica for failing to attend today's session. "Velimir Srica was a very bad City Assembly president," said SDP's Zdravko Tomac. Pusic, the president of the HNS, the party which brought Srica to the office, thanked Srica and said it was very important to have in politics people who have a name, a career, and skills. Such people will continue to be HNS' project in the future, she said. (hina) ha sb