Croatia is observing Statehood Day on Tuesday in memory of 30 May 1990 when, after decades of communist rule, the first modern democratic Croatian parliament, the Sabor, was founded based on the results of the first multiparty elections held in April and May that year.

The first parliament had 351 members and three councils – the Municipalities Council, the Associated Labour Council, and the Social-Political Council.

The centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) had 207 seats, the League of Communists of Croatia – Party of Democratic Changes, which later became the SDP, won 107 seats,  the Coalition of People’s Accord 21, and the Serb Democratic Party five, while 13 seats went to independent and ethnic minority MPs.

The 1990 parliament was in office a little over two years. Elections for its House of Representatives were held in August 1992; that parliament was unicameral and had 138 MPs.

The first parliament adopted historic decisions on Croatia’s sovereignty and independence, on severing state and legal ties with the Yugoslav federation, as well as the 1990 Christmas Constitution. Its work was marked by the start of the war of independence.

Addressing the MPs on 30 May 1990, the first Croatian president Franjo Tudjman said that throughout history “the Croatian state parliament was the guardian of the sovereignty (except from 1918 to 1941) of the Croatian people in relation to other national and state communities.”

On the occasion of Statehood Day, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic are due to lay wreaths at the Homeland Monument and attend mass for the homeland said by the Archbishop of Zagreb, Monsignor Drazen Kutlesa on Tuesday.

The main event celebrating Statehood Day and the tenth anniversary of Croatia’s EU membership is a concert at the Croatian National Theatre, ahead of which Plenkovic is expected to give a speech.