"For us the initiative for holding a referendum is indisputable, and it is about the will of the Croatian people," Milanovic said in a comment on the Constitutional Court's decision that no reasons existed for holding a referendum, as requested by trade union federations, on possible changes to the Labour Act.

The leader of the Labour Party, Dragutin Lesar, said that the Constitutional Court's was as expected.

He accused the Constitutional Court judges of trying to behave in accordance with messages of the ruling majority.

Lesar called on trade union federations to organise rallies in public places to prevent "a ban on democracy in Croatia".

Parliamentarians from the governing Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) today declined to comment on the Constitution Court's ruling.

They said Croatia had three branches of power and that they did not want to comment on work of the judicial branch.