SDSS councillors boycotted the work of the town council from May this year until yesterday, as they believed that they had the right to nominate the third deputy mayor, in compliance with the constitutional law on ethnic minorities' rights regulating the proportional representation in governments of towns and municipalities where ethnic minorities live.
The Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), which is power in this town in the Sibenik hinterland with the support of coalition partners -- the Croatian Bloc (HB) and the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP) - has six representatives in the 17-seat town council. Its partners, HB and HSP, have two and one councillor respectively.
On the other hand, the SDSS holds eight seats in the town council.
The appointment of a Serb representative, i.e. an SDSS councillor, as the third deputy town mayor, was a stumbling block for some time.
After this issue was solved with the appointment of Dragan Jerkovic as the third deputy of Mayor Josipa Rimac, the leadership of the HB party decided to sever coalition ties with the HDZ in the town and launched disciplinary procedure against its two councillors who raised their hands for the appointment of the SDSS nominee.
In the national parliament, the HDZ is the ruling party and the SDSS is one of its coalition partners in the Sabor.
The HB, which is perceived in the public as being right-wing, is a nonparliamentary party.
According to a press release issued by the HB leadership, in light of the fact that this party has neither political nor programme similarities with the SDSS party, the HB has to leave the coalition with the HDZ in Knin after the latter chose the SDSS as its partner in that town.