ZAGREB, Sept 21 (Hina) - A new party "Libra" -- a party of liberal democrats -- was founded at Saturday's founding assembly. Jozo Rados was unanimously elected party president.
ZAGREB, Sept 21 (Hina) - A new party "Libra" -- a party of liberal
democrats -- was founded at Saturday's founding assembly. Jozo
Rados was unanimously elected party president. #L#
Libra members today feel relief for having left the Croatian Social
Liberal Party (HSLS) and courageously started on a new path, Rados
said.
Elected vice-presidents are Zrinjka Glovacki-Bernardi and Milka
Blagdan, and Council president and vice-president Viktor Broz and
Zeljko Pavlic.
Members of the party's Chief Committee are Goranko Fizulic, Hrvoje
Kraljevic, Mladen Ruzman, and by function, Jozo Rados, Glovacki-
Bernardi, Blagdan, and Roland Zuvanic, Andro Vlahusic, Baltazar
Jalsovec and Goran Granic.
Libra is a party which was created after a government crisis and as a
result of a rift in the HSLS. The party has nine seats in parliament,
a vice-premier, two ministers and several deputy ministers and
assistant ministers.
Rados said Libra members had come out of a hopeless situation in
which they were in the HSLS, a party which, he said, had abandoned
its basic principles.
It was more sensible politically to stay in the HSLS, but they chose
a path of rapture, with the intent of building a party on the highest
values, as experienced politicians, Rados said of party members.
He assessed that lies, deceit, undermining, superficiality and
easy promises reigned in Croatian politics more than 13 years ago.
Warning about knowledge not being in use in Croatia, Rados added
that Libra's politicians would try and educate citizens to
understand political processes and decide on their own instead of
being just a mass subject to manipulation.
Rados announced his party would become strong before the next party
convention.
The Libra founding assembly was hailed by representatives of
parliamentary parties -- Liberal Party, Social Democratic Party,
Croatian Peasants' Party, Croatian People's Party, Istrian
Democratic Assembly, Democratic Centre and Croatian Independent
Liberals, as well as the recently founded Croatian Bloc. They
stressed they were open for cooperation with Libra.
The assembly as attended by representatives of numerous
associations and international foundations, societies and
unions.
(hina) lml