POPULAR ZAGREB MAYOR ENTERS PRESIDENTIAL RACE

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000655 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV HR SUBJECT: POPULAR ZAGREB MAYOR ENTERS PRESIDENTIAL RACE REF: A. ZAGREB 600 ¶B. ZAGREB 645 ¶C. ZAGREB 432 ¶D. ZAGREB 583 ¶E. ZAGREB 647 ¶1. (U) At 7:00AM on the mountain that overlooks Zagreb, the capital city's popular mayor, Milan Bandic, announced that he would run as an independent candidate in the upcoming presidential race (ref A). For months Bandic has been in unofficial campaign mode, criss-crossing the country and raising his national profile. But until now he had steadfastly refused to confirm or deny that he intended to enter the race (ref B). Because his party, the main opposition Social Democratic Party, has previously backed legal academic Ivo Josipovic to be the SDP's candidate for president (ref C),local media are widely expecting SDP chief Zoran Milanovic to quickly kick Bandic out of the party. Nevertheless, Bandic indicated that he would always be a Social Democrat at heart, but stressed several times during his announcement speech that now he "was completely free" of the confines of any party. Looking to build broader political appeal, Bandic also praised HDZ Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and supported her recently-signed border Arbitration Agreement with Slovenia (ref E),while criticizing the SDP for hesitating to back the deal. The implications of his candidacy on the overall presidential race will be reported in a septel. FOLEY