Social Democratic Party (SDP) leader Pedja Grbin said on Monday that it was necessary to find a formula that will removeoctopus of corruption in (the City) of Zagreb adding however, that it is too early to say who SDP's candidate for Zagreb mayor will be.

“It is necessary to take a step forward in the City of Zagreb and that means to find a political option that can remove the octopus of corruption from Zagreb which is pushing the city backwards,” said Grbin.

He added that Zagreb is not developing but stagnating and that it does not have a development policy.

I think that citizens want to see changes occur next May and that people who love this city and who know which direction to go forwards, to be at the helm of city authorities, Grbin said.

Croatia is to hold local elections in May 2021.

Asked whether SDP would nominate a candidate for Zagreb mayor, Grbin said that talks had only just begun and that it was not fair to impose any blackmail or conditions and that he would like that to be someone from SDP’s ranks.

Grbin added that he would not like to see a new lockdown in Croatia however he believes this will eventuate due to the government’s inaction.

“The government is pushing us into a lockdown with what it is is doing. That is because the government has absolutely no strategy. It does not have any organised programme, implementing objectives, there are no benchmarks to test whether conditions have emerged to ramp up or relieve measures,” said Grbin.

He claimed that due to the government’s inaction we will be forced into a lockdown. “But not an organised lockdown like some other countries have but we will be forced into an unorganised lockdown and that is bad,” he believes.

He agrees with President (Zoran) Milanovic that measures against Covid require decisions by the parliament and government because the National Civil Protection Authority (the country’s COVID-19 crisis management team) does not have legitimacy and citizens do not trust it.

“The authority is not defined in the Constitution. It does not have the right to determine how this country will behave. That is the duty of the government and Sabor. The government is running from its responsibility and is passing the buck to the crisis management,” Grbin underlined and added that it was not right for the government to hide behind some para-body.

“I intentionally refer to it as that because that is what it is with its actions. It is not right to hide behind a body that has lost all legitimacy due to its inactivity, particularly a body that during the summer shunned away from any responsibility,” said Grbin.