Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic said on Tuesday that he thought it was right not to attend the inauguration of re-elected President Zoran Milanovic. He emphasised that he has always acted as he sees fit.

“We respect the will of the voters and nobody questions the election result. Personally, I have never had a problem with congratulating anyone or attending events such as inaugurations. I have always done what I thought was right and I will do the same this time,” Jandrokovic said when asked by reporters whether the announcement that he and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic would not attend Milanovic’s inauguration was disrespectful to the voters.

What matters is the cooperation of all institutions

He reiterated that Milanovic did not congratulate the HDZ on its victory in the 2008 parliamentary elections or in 2015, when Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic was elected president, and that he failed to congratulate the HDZ on its election victories in 2016, 2020 and 2024. And this despite the fact that the HDZ had congratulated him when he first became president five years ago, Jandrokovic said.

“Moreover, Milanovic did not attend the inaugural sessions of Parliament in 2020 or 2024, claiming that it was just a ceremony and that he did not want to attend. This is a sign that he does not respect the Parliament,” Jandrokovic said.

What matters is the cooperation of all institutions within the framework of the Constitution, he said. “I will continue to stand up for the constitution, even if it has been shown that the constitution does not have the same value for everyone.”

A rude person can make a polite person rude

In the coming period, Jandrokovic said, creative approaches must be sought to ensure that important decisions are made, whether through intermediaries or directly. The most important thing is that important decisions are made, he added.

“It is not enough to just say that you are reaching out, action must follow,” he said, alluding to Milanovic’s message on election night.

“If you tolerate a rude person, it can make even a polite person rude because you have to defend yourself,” he explained.

Asked why he believed Milanovic was insincere in his offer of co-operation, Jandrokovic replied, “Why do you think he is?” adding, “Only those with the brain of a pigeon would fall for something like that.”

Bauk’s proposal is a “cheap spin”

Regarding SDP MP Arsen Bauk’s suggestion that the parliament should publish a congratulatory message to Milanovic on its website, Jandrokovic said that he knew nothing about it, but dismissed the idea as a “cheap spin”.

“I am surprised by the attitude of the SDP, as its MPs remained silent when the president twice failed to appear at the opening session of Parliament, thus disrespecting even them,” he added.

Regarding sending a representative of the Parliament to the inauguration, Jandrokovic recalled that when the Parliament tried to send a representative to the swearing-in ceremony of constitutional judges, which took place recently, the President’s Office rejected the proposal.

Jandrokovic announced that the HDZ party will now focus on preparations for the local elections in May. “We have understood the message of the voters in this election and will now prepare vigorously for the local elections, which are very important for us.”

On the reports by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) on pro-Russian influence operations during the elections and Meta’s response that no suspicious activity was found on the accounts mentioned in the report, Jandrokovic declined to comment and said he knew nothing about the matter or the authors of the report.