Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentarian Slavko Linic said on Friday he believed that representatives of the SDP-led opposition coalition would accept the invitation for a session of the parliament's Presidency in order to find ways to conclude the last parliamentary session, as announced by Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic earlier in the day.
"Consultations of the Opposition coalition will ensue, and I believe that they will respond to the Parliament Speaker's invitation, because we always believe it is good to talk," Linic told reporters after the parliament wrapped up today's sitting with no vote on items on the agenda after it became clear that the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) failed to secure a quorum following the boycott of four Opposition parties: the SDP, the HNS, the IDS and HSU.
According to Linic, the four parties are interested in a parliamentary discussion on bills vital to the citizens and economy of Croatia in one week's time before the parliament's dissolution ahead of the parliamentary elections, due on 4 December.
"Bills that are being pushed through as part of the election activities of the current government or for political reasons only are of no interest to us," Linic said.
The head of the HNS/HSU parliamentary group, Vesna Pusic, welcomed Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) parliamentarian Vladimir Seks's apology for insulting SDP MPs two days ago. His comments prompted the four opposition parties' boycott of the parliament.
"It is necessary but not enough. He has been in Parliament long enough and such things should not have happened to him," Pusic said, adding that Seks's apology in parliament today showed that he and the HDZ had become aware that they had overreacted.
Pusic said that today's developments in parliament "absolutely and unequivocally" showed that the government no longer had a parliamentary majority.
