ZAGREB, September 25, 2019 - The chairman of the Work and Solidarity Party's parliamentary group, led by Zagreb Mayor Milan Bandić, Robert Jankovics, told reporters on Wednesday that he had left the group, but would continue to support the parliamentary majority.
Jankovics, who represents the Hungarian minority in the Croatian parliament, said that from now on he would work solely through the group of lawmakers representing ethnic minorities.
"The differences among members of the group have become too great for me and they are no longer just conceptual but substantial as well," Jankovics said without revealing the reasons for his departure. He added that he did not want to speak badly of his colleagues.
The Work and Solidarity Party, led by Zagreb mayor Milan Bandić, now has 11 MPs in the 151-seat parliament.
Jankovics had said earlier that the only condition for him to join the party's group was to support the government of Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovič.
The mayor of Zagreb and leader of the Labour and Solidarity Party, Milan Bandić, said on Wednesday that Robert Jankovics obviously did not feel well in his skin considering that the parliamentary group and therefore also its responsibility were great, noting that there were no problems in the parliamentary group.
Bandić said that he was not worried by Jankovics's departure or by the possibility that his parliamentary group might fall apart.
Noting that he had talked with Jankovics two days ago, Bandić said: "He chose to go his own way and I wish him well, just as I wish everyone else well. As for the reasons of his departure, you should ask him. I have no problem with Mr Jankovics or with anyone else."
He said that Kazimir Varda, who is also the vice-president of the Labour and Solidarity Party, would be the new head of the parliamentary group, succeeding Jankovics.
Considering that Jankovics sad that he was leaving because of substantial differences, reporters asked Bandić about the nature of those differences, to which he referred them to Jankovics, noting that as far as he was aware, there were no problems.
He would not speculate as to whether the ruling HDZ party was behind the latest developments, which, as the Opposition claims, wants to weaken Bandić's influence in the parliament.
More news about Zagreb Mayor Bandić can be found in the Politics section.
