The Central Election Commission of the Social Democratic Party on Friday evening announced the candidate lists for the party's president and members of the Presidency, who will be elected on 14 September following the principle of one member-one vote.

Out of the six candidacies for party president, the Commission did not accept that of Makarska Mayor Zoran Paunovic, because he falls 11 days short of the required five years of party membership, which is one of the conditions for candidacy.

As a result, the contenders for the successor of Pedja Grbin as party leader will be the current vice presidents Sinisa Hajdas Doncic and Ranko Ostojic, the vice president of the party’s Women’s Forum, Sanja Major, former SDP labour minister Mirando Mrsic, and Kalnik municipal head Mladen Keser.

Party members will also elect the Presidency, which has 17 members. There are 37 candidates interested in these 17 positions, most of whom are in the current Presidency, but some party veterans, such as Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Zlatko Komadina have also come forward.

Current vice presidents Biljana Borzan, Sabina Glasovac, and Rajko Ostojic have announced their candidacies for the Presidency again, while the fourth vice president, Hajdas Doncic, is only running for the position of party president, in which he is considered the favourite.

The party’s general secretary, who will be elected by the Main Committee, will also join the Presidency. The Main Committee, consisting of 103 members, will be elected in the party’s 15 county branches on the one-member-one vote principle.