ZAGREB, July 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Social Liberal Party's Executive Council on late Monday night supported the suggestion of the party's chief, Drazen Budisa, for expelling the party's members - government officials - who openly
backed the newly established bench of the independent liberals - HSLS parliamentarians.
ZAGREB, July 8 (Hina) - The Croatian Social Liberal Party's
Executive Council on late Monday night supported the suggestion of
the party's chief, Drazen Budisa, for expelling the party's members
- government officials - who openly backed the newly established
bench of the independent liberals - HSLS parliamentarians. #L#
After the Executive Council's session, Drazen Budisa told
reporters that "it is obvious that Ivica Racan, who is forming a new
government, will have his own HSLS members who will carry out the
pre-election campaign for him".
Earlier on Monday, six HSLS MPs and six HSLS members of the
government expressed their support to a new government at whose
helm Ivica Racan will most probably be.
"They opted for this position and they will be expelled from the
HSLS"," Budisa said.
Budisa maintains that the HSLS has not been split, given that, he
says, the number of members leaving the party is very small in
comparison to the total number of HSLS members.
Asked whether the HSLS was moving towards the right, the party's
head said he and the HSLS leadership were fed up with accusations of
their playing at rightism.
"There is a practice in Croatia that a person who shuns national
topics is called a liberal. The liberal option is considerably
broader," Budisa said.
The proposal for the ouster of 'insubordinate members' was
supported by the entire Executive Council, except one member who
abstained from it.
The Council relieved Josko Kontic of the duty of the party's
spokesman.
According to the official explanation of Kontic's dismissal from
the post, the HSLS chief Budisa can again represent the party after
he left the office of the First Deputy Prime Minister. However, the
unofficial explanation is that the removal of Kontic, believed to
be close to the right policy, was a concession made in favour of the
HSLS moderate stream that is complaining that the right wing is
taking hold of the party.
Six Social Liberals (HSLS) and MPs, who oppose the policy of party
president Budisa are Ivo Skrabalo, Zrinjka Glovacki-Bernardi,
Zeljko Pavlic, Mladen Godek, Viktor Broz, and Goranko Fizulic.
Six government officials who support this bench are ministers of
defence, science and health, Jozo Rados, Hrvoje Kraljevic, and
Andro Vlahusic respectively, Deputy Finance Minister Damir
Kustrak, Deputy Environmental Protection Minister Roland Zuvanic,
and an HSLS member and resigned vice-premier Goran Granic.
(hina) ms
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