Senior SDP official withdraws his membership over cooperation with the Centar Party

Reportedly an additional 15 members of the SDP’s Split chapter have resigned their membership after the SDP’s only two city councilors did so on Sunday. With no councilors on the City Assembly, the SDP in Split, but also the national level appears to be in disarray. According to the disgruntled former members, their reason for leaving the SDP stems from dissatisfaction with the party leadership's attitude towards the SDP’s Split chapter.

Davor Matijević, a member of the SDP's Central Committee and its executive secretary for Dalmatia has resigned his party membership after seventeen years. Another fifteen members of the SDP's Split chapter are also leaving the party. As his primary reason for leaving the party, Matijević cited the party's continued cooperation with the Centar Party, whom he accuses of undermining his run for Split Mayor at the recent elections.

"I was running a neck and neck race with Tomislav Šuta of the HDZ, on the verge of forcing a second round run-off election. And after that kind of campaign, in which they did damage to me personally and the party and our coalition as a whole, it is absolutely unacceptable to me that the SDP doesn't see a problem with continuing their cooperation with the Centar Party on the national and local level."

Immediately after Matijević's departure from the SDP and the still unofficial departure of SDP city councilor Katarina Prnjak, another member of the SDP’s Split chapter has also left the party. According to unofficial reports Tonći Stipić a respected doctor in the community and long-time member of the SDP’s Split chapter, has also left the party.

The rash of departures from the SDP was commented on today by the party's commissioner for Split, Mišel Jakšić: "This definitely isn't a comfortable situation, but I am not worried about the SDP's future, because the SDP will impose itself in Split as the primary opposition to the HDZ. Ultimately, that is what the citizens expect of us. I have been getting calls from a multitude of disappointed people from Split who expect something new from the SDP."

Source: HRT