The groups of the opposition Social Democrats (SDP) and the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) said the prosecution of Sanader should motivate the government, which they said had lost its legitimacy, to step down and to call early elections.

SDP leader Zoran Milanovic said the SDP would not stop reiterating that until something was done about it, adding that today's discussion was just the continuation of the previous SDP-initiated discussion to give Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor a no-confidence vote.

Milanovic stressed that Sanader had definitely left Croatia today, asking who would be held to account for this oversight as well as for the frequent information leaks, including the information that helped Sanader to leave Croatia just in time.

"Your police allowed him to cross the border this morning," he told the ruling coalition.

Damir Kajin of the IDS said he believed that someone had organised Sanader's escape from Croatia.

"You let him go and someone in authority organised the escape, which is why the government should be dissolved and early elections called," he said.

Kajin said Sanader was not the only one responsible for the organisation of a system through which more was stolen than through ownership transformation and privatisation.

"It's impossible that Sanader is to blame for everything. Someone had to carry the bags. Only when he returns, and he will return, will we hear who was in the team," said Kajin, adding that "those who shot for Sanader before are now ready to shoot at Sanader."

Vesna Pusic said the People's Party/Pensioners Party group had no intention of gloating over political adversaries, in this case the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ), because the Sanader case was far bigger than one party, extremely important for Croatia, its legal order and stability.

"We in parliament should make it possible for the judiciary to act and clear up the Sanader case. It is our task to grant (MIP's) request, whereby we are making it possible for the judiciary to work without disruptions and do its job to the end," said Pusic.

She said Croatia could not make progress before courts solved the cases of stealing state property.

"This is a watershed moment for Croatia. To a great extent, we are starting to decide whether we will give this country a chance to develop in the direction of a European democracy or if we will once again deny it this chance," said Pusic.

Dragutin Lesar of the Croatian Labour Party said he had not expected the DORH to get to Sanader, but criticised the authorities for allowing him to leave the country. He criticised the DORH for not requesting that Sanader's passport be revoked and for not restricting his movements.

"This isn't a mistake on the part of the police, but of the DORH, and not the first one," said Lesar.

With one vote against, that of the HDZ's Andrija Hebrang, parliament confirmed the MIP's decision to deny the request to strip the SDP's Tonino Picula of parliamentary immunity.

During the discussion on the request to arrest Sanader, Deputy Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks of the HDZ asked the guards to remove Dinko Buric of the HDSSB party from the chamber after he said the HDZ was a criminal organisation.

HDZ deputies said Buric's claims were unacceptable and malicious.