Croatian Social Democrats Seek New Leader and Hope

Elections for a new head of Croatia's main centre-left opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, are vital no only for reviving the damaged image of the party but to restore some "balance" to Croatia's political scene, political analyst Davor Gjenero told BIRN.

"Croatia's political scene has basically turned into a two-party system, so if SDP weakens any further, we will find ourselves in a system with one dominant political party, which is never good, as it can lead to oligarchy," he said, refrring to the governing Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ.

The SDP "is in a very bad place due to the actions of its former leader, Zoran Milanovic", he said, which has also meant that the party lacks relevant figures ready to assume the presidential post.

Gjenero concluded that SDP's voters will have to choose between "continuity and discontinuity with Milanovic's SDP and further marginalisation of the party in society".

According to an opinion survey, conducted by the polling agency Ipsos pulse on 600 citizens, the current favourite for the leadership is party veteran and former foreign minister Tonino Picula, with 29 per cent support.

He is followed by former interior minister Ranko Ostojic with the support of 25 per cent of those taking part in the survey. Davor Bernardic won the support of 22 per cent, former justice minister Orsat Miljenic six per cent, Vesna Kuslic two per cent, while Karolina Leakovic and Gordana Sobol won only one-per-cent support each.

Among SDP voters in the survey, Ostojic was the most popular, with a rating of 38 per cent, followed by Picula 26 and Bernardic, with 20 per cent each.

Before early general elections held in September, the majority of opinion polls showed the SDP's centre-left People's...