SDP deputy whip Arsen Bauk has said that one should consider as realistic the possibility of Tomislav Tomasevic running for Zagreb mayor as a joint candidate of the left bloc if his candidacy proves to stand a chance of success, and that the SDP would not benefit from cooperation with Katarina Peovic.

Commenting on current relations in the green-left parliamentary group and asked if Peovic had become a stumbling block in relations between the We Can! and the Workers’ Front, Bauk told a news conference on Wednesday that he did not want to interfere in other groups’ internal affairs, noting that Peovic, an MP of the Workers’ Front, had in advance dismissed the possibility of cooperation between the SDP and the green-left bloc.

“The SDP is a centre-left party, a vast majority of our voters find Peovic’s rhetoric unacceptable and I think the SDP would not benefit from cooperation with her,” said Bauk.

He noted that the SDP had neither given up nor had it finally agreed to support the candidacy of Tomislav Tomasevic of the We Can! party for Zagreb mayor because the relevant party branch had not yet made a decision on the matter.

“We are open to cooperation and expect those who have such an ambition and can prove it is supported by approval ratings, to make the next move so that we can launch changes in Zagreb together,” said Bauk, adding that if Tomasevic’s candidacy proved to stand a good chance of success, one should consider the possibility of supporting it but that the final decision should be made by the Zagreb SDP branch.

The next local elections in Croatia are set for May 2021.