Anka Mrak-Taritaš will be a joint SDP-HNS candidate for Zagreb mayor in upcoming local elections.
SDP and HNS have officially signed an agreement on cooperation in the local elections in Zagreb and given their support to Anka Mrak-Taritaš as their joint candidate for the Zagreb mayor. They said they were the only political option which could bring change to the City of Zagreb, reports tportal.hr on April 3, 2017.
SDP-HNS coalition has previously brought back hope to citizens in the most difficult times, said SDP president Davor Bernardić. “Croatia deserves better and should be a country where everyone lives better. Everything which has been happening in Croatia in the last few days shows that we are now paying for what HDZ did in the 1990s,” said Bernardić, alluding to the Agrokor crisis, which has its roots in the privatization process.
Bernardić added that Zagreb must become an engine of development for the entire Croatia. “When I said that SDP was ready to make a step back, we were aware that we needed to make that step in the interest of citizens, and that means changes at the helm of Zagreb that can ensure that the city becomes faster, more promising and cheaper,” said Bernardić. “Change begins at the helm. I am glad that we can support Anka Mrak-Taritaš to whom SDP’s support will provide a result that we need,” said Bernardić.
HNS president Ivan Vrdoljak said that Anka Mrak-Taritaš was the real face of changes in Zagreb, adding that she was the only person who could beat the incumbent Mayor Milan Bandić. With its support to Mrak-Taritaš, SDP has demonstrated that it cares about changes, said Vrdoljak. “This is an agreement that will enable Zagreb after 21 May to have city authorities which will have the determination, the will, the knowhow and the confidence,” said Vrdoljak. “Anka is a candidate of liberals, not only in political terms but also in terms of freedoms. The freedom that we must not be in a state of fear and that everyone has a place in the city, regardless of their skin colour, religion or party affiliation,” said Vrdoljak.
“2017 will be the year of change,” said Anka Mrak-Taritaš. “We want to return Zagreb to its citizens, who have not been making decisions for a long time. I want for Zagreb to be an open, multicultural city, just like it has always been. I will perform the duties of the mayor the best I can because this is the crown of my entire career. I feel like I am getting a great opportunity that I will not miss,” concluded Mrak-Taritaš.
The agreement provides for one deputy mayor to come from the ranks of SDP, while the other will be a non-party candidate. Likewise, SDP should get the position of president of City Assembly. Anka Mrak-Taritaš will be the first candidate on the candidate list for the Assembly.
