The leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Pedja Grbin, declared on Monday that he would no longer be party leader. He will not stand as a candidate in the upcoming internal party elections, but will continue to lead the SDP until a new president is elected.

“The party committees have decided that the party’s internal election process will only begin after the European Parliament elections. These elections are over and tomorrow we will start the activities for the internal party elections,” Grbin said at a press conference, pointing out that the SDP presidency would set the timetable for these activities.

Grbin recalled that he had said before the Croatian parliamentary elections on 17 April that he would resign as party leader if the SDP did not form the government, and that he had kept his word.

“I will not run for the party chairmanship in the internal party elections. It is my duty to finish my term… so that the process is fair and transparent,” he said.

“Until the election of the new party leader, I will lead the party and hand over the office to the elected candidate,” Grbin said.

He also refused to say who he would like to see as his successor.

Grbin said he is leaving the party in a much better state than when he took over the leadership of the party. “I would give myself a B,” he said as he assessed his tenure as SDP leader.