The Social Democratic Party Main Committee on Saturday unanimously supported SDP president Pedja Grbin as the party's candidate for prime minister in the next parliamentary election, despite unofficial questioning in the party whether it should be someone else given Grbin's low approval rating.

Chair Marija Lugaric said the committee’s unanimous conclusion supporting the leadership and the team preparing the party for elections meant that the SDP had chosen Grbin as its candidate for prime minister.

Grbin did not speak about potential coalition partners, but did comment on Centre president Ivica Puljak’s statement that “the SDP is a party past its prime.”

Grbin said voters would qualify Puljak’s statement and that it was Puljak’s business if he planned to build his political success on a personal conflict, instead of offering citizens something concrete. After such a statement, he eliminated the possibility of a pre-election coalition with Centre.

Asked how he planned to raise the SDP’s approval rating, Grbin said he would tell citizens what he could actually do for them.

“We have an alternative, a party which knows how to ensure 50% higher pensions, free kindergartens, knows what to do to improve workers’ standards and what to do to make the system of public administration and local government function, while on the other hand we have a party which knows how to sell gas for a cent, knows how to steal a billion kuna (€133m) from (energy company) INA and a party which knows how to systematically steal.”

Grbin also commented on the case of HEP power company CEO Frane Barbaric, saying that if the law and common sense were respected, he would have been sacked at least two months ago.

Whether Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic will finally find the strength and the courage to do something about it or if he is afraid of ending up in prison is a question for him, he added.