End of Milanović - Bandić beautiful friendship?

Silent war lead inside the SDP will soon hit the ceiling. The party obstructs revision, referendum, receiving new members in his absence

A silent war that has been going on between Milan Bandić and Zoran Milanović engendered by the suspicion that the head of the SDP these days received new members, but without Bandić's knowledge. Milan Bandić's close associates have disclosed it to the Novi list, subbmitting a protocol of the 43rd session of the Local SDP organization Maksimir as an evidence to their claims, when the membership cards were presented for the eight new members.

This was the first time that the delivery ceremony wasn't attended by Milan Bandić. The same thing already occured in the Črnomerec Committee. 30 new members were welcomed, but not even then Bandić hasn't attended the ceremony. One of Bandić's reprsentatives confirmed the facts the public recently speculated on. It's Milanović's desire to introduce new members, and to weaken Bandić's general influence and influence in the party radix.

Marijan Pilaš, president of Local SDP Organization Committee claims that - they've only handed the new membership cards to the new members that weren't delivered when Bandić was not present. - Pilaš also asserts that the SDP membership data exist in the SDP municipal headquarters in Praška street, so it is unlikely that Bandić does not know anything about the issue.

Milanović boys occupied Praška street

But Bandić's head denies such claims, and explains that the membership register is clearly in Praška street, but 'Milanović boys' are co-opting it slowly. He also asserts that Jurica Meić organizes in the same area talks with the citizens. He argues that the president of the Maksimir committee doesn't tell the truth, and that in this case Bandić would know about the new members.

Municipal SDP Secretary, Jelena Pavičević Vukićević, asserts she doesn't know anything on the issue, so she rerouted the journalists to Jurica Meić, SDP parliamentary club chairman in the City Assembly, which stated that all of these claims are actually "nonsense".

Meić explains that it's a know procedure who's receiving new party members, while Bandić conferred to him that he likes being present at the reception of the new members, and as much as he know about it, Bandić regularely does so.

Ladislav Tomičić, the Novi List journalist writes that according to the SDP statute a decision on the new members reception is brought either by the communal or municipal party committee, or its trustee or commissioner. The same document states that every party member is a member of the community or municipal SDP organisation according to their own place of residence.

Tribulations according to the state budget

Let us remind, that we could read lately the Bandić - Milanović war will soon enter its final phase. Discordances between two politicians should eventually take place because the party headquarters says that Zoran Milanović has no intention to support Bandić in a planned budget revision.

In fact, if Bandić desires to pursue with the budget revision and reduce it by 250 millions of kunas, he still has to engage the opposition parties and independent lists, which probably will not happen. Finance Committee turned Bandić's proposition down, the opposition voted against it, while SDP parliamentary representatives were restrained.

So on this Friday some very interesting things will be happening at the City Assembly, given that party colleagues intend to take over Bandić's control over Zagreb Holding by additionally expanding the Assembly members to another 11, whereby they have concluded an agreement with the opposition.

City indebted 1, 84 billion kuna!

Nevertheless, Zagreb will enter next year with the 1.2 billion kunas minus, and the investment money is not lavishing. Bandić planned on transfering an 800 million kuna debt into the next year, while the additional 400 million kunas will be made due to differences in income and expenditures. SDP member told Večernji List that these figures can be summed up to another 640 million kunas, which the City owns to Holding, so the total sum reaches the enormous 1.84 billions kunas.

The worst predictions notwithstanding, the mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandić is convinced he will not have to interfere with the social rights, and there will be no newly annouced price increases in households utilities. While dictating his colleagues to keep their mouth shut about the problems, he himself denies them all. Lack of funds and an obvious decline in the planned investments for the next year he explains as he himself acomplished so far enourmous work so he has to take some time off.

The question is whether SDP representatives and the opposition will support the mayor in his desire to announce a referendum on November 22nd in which citizens should decide on whether they want to complete the Maksimir stadium, or build a new one at Kajzerica.

Since Bandić's steady as a rock, questioned about what if the proposal fails at the City Assembly he replied that it's his fate that his own party colleagues and the opposition parties colleagues create problems. Even though he never publicly quoted the actual prices of the new stadium, as promised, Bandić now claims he never imputed such a thing. He really cares about the location, and not the prices.