Prominent doctor leaves SDP after almost 20 years: 'We no longer believe in the same ideas'

Branko Kolarić, a respected doctor and former head of the SDP's Zagreb branch, announced on Facebook that he is leaving the Social Democratic Party after nearly two decades. He described the decision as difficult, stating that while he joined the SDP because of shared values like freedom of thought, solidarity, and mutual respect, the party has since moved in a different direction.

“

Dear friends and colleagues from SDP, today I made a difficult decision that I want to share with you. As of today, I am leaving our party, which we have been building together for almost twenty years. Thank you for your support, for all the good and sometimes difficult moments, and for all the successes we have achieved together.

"My beloved party has gone down a different path, and it and I no longer believe in the same ideas," Kolarić wrote. He indicated that he has remained consistent in his beliefs and hoped the party would support his initiatives, but he could no longer reconcile his vision with the party's current trajectory.

“

My beloved party has gone down a different path, and it and I no longer believe in the same ideas. I have remained the same: I continued to believe that the party would support my efforts to achieve good ideas.

Kolarić expressed concern over processes within the SDP, especially in its Zagreb organization, which he believes are seriously undermining the party's democratic character. He had hoped for a return to dialogue and inclusivity but concluded he could no longer be a part of what he described as the party's "disappearance and erosion."

“

In recent years within the party, and especially in the Zagreb organization, we have witnessed processes that seriously undermine the democratic character of the SDP. I believed that it was only necessary to wait a while, and then we would return to the path of dialogue, inclusion, and respect. I belonged to our community for so long that I refused to accept that I should exclude myself even from obvious signs that this was actually expected of me. But I really can no longer be part of the disappearance and erosion in which the Party finds itself.

Despite his departure, Kolarić stated that he does not view his nineteen years in the SDP as a mistake, though he considers the current situation a misstep for the party. He leaves with "sadness and love" and remains available to his former colleagues. Reports had previously suggested Kolarić was considering leaving the party, with speculation that he might continue as an independent.

“

Regardless of everything, I cannot look at nineteen years of our common path as a mistake, although I truly consider what is happening now a mistake. Nevertheless, I am overjoyed by the path we have traveled together and I leave with sadness and love.