BORBA ZA PREVLAST SDP, OD PARISKOG KONGRESA 1900 GODINE DO DANAS, JEDNA JE OD NAJVEĆIH NIZBRDICA

GLOBUS: BATTLE FOR SDP Can the favorite lose: 'For Grbin, he is the most dangerous man to whom he was personally the head of the campaign!' 'His potential entry into the race is very dangerous for Pedja. The two shoot at the same membership profile ' Writes: Marko SpoljarPosted: August 26, 2020 5:35 pm Pedja Grbin Pedja Grbin Goran Mehkek / Cropix Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail RELATED NEWS Pedja Grbin SDP BIRA Grbin aims to win in the first round, Ahmetović and Kolar call for unity COLLECTED 1400 SIGNATURES Peđa Grbin submitted his candidacy for SDP chief, and commented on Bernardić's party in Gardaland If the new president of the SDP was elected by our voters from the last parliamentary elections or if he was elected by all our sympathizers, the new head of the party would be Pedja Grbin . But he is elected by members of the party. And not everyone, but only those who paid the membership fee or settled their debts on time. This has significantly reduced the electorate and in such circumstances the race for a new party leader is completely open. Although Grbin is still the favorite, his victory is not certain - claims one of the experienced members of the still strongest opposition party. In addition to Grbin, Krapina-Zagorje County Prefect Željko Kolar and Omišalj Mayor and freshly elected Member of Parliament Mirela Ahmetović have so far run for SDP chief . As the candidacy process is open until the end of August, it is possible that there will be more than three contenders for Davor Bernardić's successor . Although a much larger number of people are registered in the membership register, about 12,000 voters will have the right to vote in the elections to be held in exactly one month (September 26). Namely, only so many of them regularly paid the membership fee or settled their debts within the set deadline - which has passed. - The fact that the new party president will be able to be elected by a much smaller number of voters is most helpful to the candidate who has the strongest direct influence on the party base, on the ground. To the candidate who controls the largest number of local organizations, ie the largest number of our members. And of the well-known candidates so far, it is certainly Željko Kolar. Apart from being the prefect of Krapina-Zagorje County for two terms and during that time he has certainly developed his network on the ground, his candidacy is supported by many party organizations in the north and northwest of Croatia, as well as presidents of several county organizations such as Mladen Kešer, head of Koprivnica-Križevci SDP - the president of the SDP of Varaždin County Barbara Antolić Vupora or Tihomir Jaić , the leader of the Bjelovar-Bilogora SDP ... - says the SDP official for Globus, who is actively lobbying for Peđa Grbin in the campaign. - Imagine next to the Prime Minister and the head of the HDZ Andrej Plenković first Kolar, then next to Plenković imagine Ahmetović, and then Peđa Grbin. Let's not joke, Grbin is the only one of them who can match the head of the ruling party. And as the SDP president is always seen as a candidate for the future prime minister, the choice is - at least I hope - obvious. However, it is my deep conviction that the most dangerous opponent for Grbin is neither Kolar nor Ahmetović, but Ranko Ostojić , who is still valid whether he will run for the party leader. Namely, it is completely clear that Grbin has the best chance of becoming the president of the party if he wins in the first round, because it would be much harder to win in the second. It seems to me that in that case Grbin would be in great danger, regardless of whether Mirela Ahmetović or Željko Kolar will enter the second round. Their voters are much more similar to each other than those of Pedja Grbin. And that’s why Rank’s potential entry into the race is very dangerous for Pedja. Namely, the two of them can count on a very similar profile of SDP members, that is, they would fight for votes from the same pool, and it is easily possible that in the end they would both remain short-sleeved - our interlocutor claims. A similar calculation was made by Ranko Ostojić, who, before the candidacy process even began, said in an interview with Nacional: “There is no need to explain my opinion about Peđa Grbin because he was the leader of my campaign when I was a presidential candidate. parties four years ago, and in that campaign we were literally alone. Then, all ministers from the Government of Zoran Milanović stood behind Orsat Miljenić , the rest were with Bernardić. I was not the favorite of Zoran Milanović, our only allies at that time were members of the SDP and I still entered the second round. But as the difference was large in favor of Bernardic, many, as it happens, ran into the tent of the likely winner. That mistake should not be repeated now. Here I give the answer for my candidacy because Pedja and I certainly have an identical program. The question is who would the members choose to implement this type of program. " Although Ostojic believes that Grbin lacks leadership, he said at the time that he had not yet made a decision on whether to run for the new SDP chief because he "does not want to harm Grbin". One week before the deadline for candidacies, we asked Ranko Ostojic if he had made a decision in the meantime and if he might, if not for president, run for at least a member of the Presidency or the Main Board. - I will be a candidate in the elections, but I have not yet decided which position - Ranko Ostojić says for Globus. Although the election rules allow candidates to run for both party president and member of the Presidency and Main Board at the same time, Ostojic claims he will run for only one position. - Usually I was not the one who ran for more positions. After all, in the last internal party elections, I only ran for party president. I always go into the game openly, I don’t calculate with reserve positions. In addition, I already have a high position in the SDP (he is the president of the SDP organization in the Split-Dalmatia County, n. A.) And there is no need to accumulate positions - he claims. He adds that the party current that was closest to the still current party leader Davor Bernardic in recent years after the debacle in the parliamentary elections will probably not throw out any of them for the presidential candidate, but will try to pull the strings from the shadows. - Their tactic will be to "go against", to support the one with whom they will have less problems, which means that they are uniting against Grbin, who openly and publicly says that the new SDP cannot be built with the people who ruined it - he says. Ranko Ostojic is just one of many in the party who are convinced that high-ranking SDP members who have supported Bernardic for years will now unite against Grbin. - Things are developing so far, so that the team has already started lobbying strongly for Kolar on the field. Not because they think he is the best choice for the new SDP leader, but because they do not perceive him as a threat to their future status and ambitions in the party. The team still includes the current vice president of the party Rajko Ostojic, then the mayor of Koprivnica Misel Jaksic , then Vukovar SDP and Zeljko Sabo , then the leadership of our organization in Brod-Posavina County, as well as heads of several county organizations such as Mladen Keser, Tihomir Jaic and Barbara Antolic Vupore - says Globus' election from the SDP leadership. Our interlocutor from Kolar's team claims that his presidential candidacy is supported by a dozen presidents of county organizations, that the Krapina-Zagorje County Prefect has become a favorite in the race for SDP leader a few days ago, and that he is supported on the ground by some SDP mayors. also mentioned the already mentioned Jakšić. The mayor of Koprivnica, however, told Globus that neither he nor the SDP's city organization have yet decided who to support as the party's new head. - I have not yet made a final decision on who I will personally support. This week, we will discuss the candidacies at the level of the city SDP in Koprivnica and at the level of the leadership of the county SDP. As far as I am concerned, I may only run for a member of the SDP Main Board - says Mišel Jakšić. In an interview with Globus, Krapina-Zagorje County Prefect Željko Kolar claims that he is not a candidate of "any of the party groups", regardless of the fact that some heads of SDP county organizations have already publicly supported him. - I primarily expect the support of all members who are not satisfied with the current situation in the party. Well, we have a parliamentary club of MPs in which two groups of people can no longer even talk to each other normally, let alone anything more than that. I seek broad support among the membership. Any support from any county, city or municipal organization is equally valuable to me, because it means creating a critical mass of people who are aware that we need to change. The SDP has a chance only if we discuss programs, giving space to young people and new ideas in the campaign. If they're going to spin the same thing, then we don't stand a chance. Either we will mobilize completely or we will fail. In that sense, I expect the widest possible support - says Kolar. The enumerated team of Krapina-Zagorje County is opposed by Peđa Grbin, who is supported in the race for the new head of the SDP by many strong SDP players. There are also members of the SDP Presidency who were suspended by Davor Bernardic and whose sentences recently expired Vedran Babic and Sinisa Hajdas Doncic , then the head of the parliamentary club Arsen Bauk and the head of the Zagreb SDP Gordan Maras , MEP Biljana Borzan , then Ivan Račan , as well as some SDP mayors like Kristina Ikić Baniček from Sisak or Miša Krstičević from Ploče. In an interview with Globus, Peđa Grbin claims that he does not run in the internal party elections as a part or as the leader of the bloc, and that he considers this to be an extremely bad practice. - Unlike the example from the HDZ, I am in no way advocating the anointing of someone for office in the party. In the SDP, elections are democratic, all party bodies are elected on the same day, and all party bodies are elected under the same conditions by all party members. I am convinced that I can cooperate with everyone in the SDP. However, I think it would be good for the SDP to elect people who have achieved results in their political careers so far, people who have good ideas about the direction in which they would go. SDP and Croatia were supposed to move, as well as people who have not ruined the SDP with their work so far. These are the criteria I follow and anyone who fits them is a collaborator for me. Mišo Krstičević and Biljana Borzan and Siniša Hajdaš Dončić and Kristina Ikić Baniček and Ivan Račan and Matej Mostarac , but also Mirela Ahmetović and Željko Kolar , are among the colleagues who have nominated candidates for the highest party bodies so far . When the others point out the candidacies, I will be able to talk about them as well - says Grbin. And who does he consider the most dangerous opponent and does he expect Ranko Ostojić's candidacy for party leader? - Both Mirela and Željko are good candidates, and Mirela and Željko are doing their job well in their communities and I will see both in my team after the internal party elections. I am not speculating with anyone's candidacy or name, each of us who has run so far has done it alone, and so will others if they think it is necessary - says Grbin. Unlike Kolar's and Grbin's, Mirela Ahmetović's presidential ambitions are not publicly and unreservedly, at least for now, supported by any of the SDP's strongest players. While for some of our interlocutors it is proof of her weak chances, for others it is her biggest advantage. - She is the only one who can be publicly "sold" as new on the national political scene and if during this campaign her public appearances are clear and attractive not only to our members but also to SDP voters, things can turn in her favor at the end of the campaign. . She is the "dark horse" of the race for the new head of the SDP - says an experienced SDP member. Just like Kolar and Grbin, so Mirela Ahmetović goes to the polls for all or nothing. Namely, although the rules allow it, none of them - except for the presidency - ran for any other position in the future leadership of the party. - I said clearly and loudly that I am thinking from which position I can help my SDP the most. And given the measures I envisage, which could help the SDP, I think I can do that from the position of party president. I don't need reserve positions. I have never specifically asked for public support, I ask for support from all members of the party, regardless of whether they are in some positions or are ordinary members who work for the benefit of the party. Each member has one and equally valuable vote. I think that the members of the party are thinking for themselves and that they will vote for the one they trust to stand behind their words and whom they trust to put into action what they are now publicly proclaiming during the campaign. I have no doubt at all in the support of SDP members because my measures are the most concrete and the best - says Mirela Ahmetović.