The Croatian Labour Party's leadership on Saturday adopted a recommendation for branches to go on their own in the local elections, due to be held this spring.
The recommendation not to form coalitions before the local polls was adopted by the party's National Council, and after the council's meeting the party leader Dragutin Lesar told a news conference in Zagreb that this was a recommendation and not the ban to form coalitions.
"Having in mind that this is the National Council's recommendation I am sure that all branches will comply with it whereby we will facilitate the decision-making inside the party," said Lesar.
Asked by the press whether the Labour Party's Zagreb branch would participate independently in the local election in Zagreb, Lesar said he was confident that the Zagreb branch would follow this recommendation.
According to Lesar, the Labour Party, which has now six seats in the national parliament, will participate in the local elections in 153 municipalities and in the 20 counties.
So far in 2012, as many as 1,637 new members have joined this opposition parliamentary party which has currently 6,564 members.
Lesar said that currently there were Labour Party branches in 153 municipalities, towns and cities and that it had also 14 county branches with plans to set up branches in the remaining six counties by the end of this year.
