On Sunday morning, union leaders laid a wreath at Mirogoj Cemetery in tribute to all the Croatian soldiers killed during the 1991-1995 Homeland War, and then went to Maksimir as visitors.

"We want to take maximum advantage of the election year in negotiations with the government and win what we have been demanding in vain over the past years, so we don't need protests now," said the president of the Independent Trade Unions, Kresimir Sever.

"Besides, the protest marches held in previous years didn't attract much interest of citizens and they never joined the union protesters in large numbers," he added.

However, about 100 people, organised via the online social network Facebook, came to the park to protest against the government. Carrying banners and flags, they demanded immediate elections, resignation of the government, direct democracy, and expressed their opposition to capitalism and the EU. They did not attract much attention from the visitors who were watching the programme of entertainment or queuing for a traditional free helping of bean soup.

The May Day celebration was organised by the City of Zagreb, and Mayor Milan Bandic, just like in previous years, took part in handing out 37,000 helpings of beans to citizens.

Among the politicians who visited Maksimir, Davor Bernardic, the head of the Zagreb branch of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was seen giving out red carnations to passers-by.

Meanwhile, trade unions in the northern Adriatic city of Rijeka organised the only May Day protest rally in the country. Held under the slogan "We don't want a society of unemployment, poverty and corruption", it drew about 50 protesters.

"The workers and union leaders have obviously failed to realise what liberal capitalism is and its cruelty," said Bruno Bulic, the president of the Trade Union of Istria and Kvarner. "This is the first time that some of the trade union federations in Croatia have skipped May 1 justifying it with the agreement with the government and the fact that it is a Sunday," he said, urging the leaders of those federations to step down from the trade union scene.

International Workers' Day was also marked in the eastern city of Osijek, while in the southern coastal city of Split, the celebration was cancelled due to rain. The organiser, the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Croatia, said that the celebration would be held on May 15 to coincide with a celebration of the day of the city's Marjan Park.