MP Hrvoje Zekanovic of the right-wing Croatian Sovereignists party said during a discussion in Parliament on Thursday on a proposal to amend the Protection of the Population from Infectious Diseases Act that he was against COVID passes, but that it should be made clear that the existing vaccines saved human lives.

“All of you who are in favour of or against COVID passes should clearly say from this rostrum that the vaccine saves human lives. You must not leave it in a footnote, because people end up on ventilators because of your views,” Zekanovic said, calling out some politicians and President Zoran Milanovic who spoke out against restrictions introduced by the national COVID response team to stem the spread of the pandemic in the country.

During the discussion, Zekanovic revealed that he was the only one of the 24 right-wing MPs to have been vaccinated, noting that three of the six Sovereignists’ MPs currently have COVID-19 and one of them is in hospital.

“Regardless of my trying to convince my colleague to get vaccinated, he did not do so, like thousands of others. Shame on everyone who denies this disease,” Zekanovic said, stressing that the vaccine is a risk, but that the disease itself is a greater risk.

Stephen Nikola Bartulica of the right-wing DP party said he never questioned that vaccination was a good solution, especially for vulnerable groups, but stressed he did not think COVID passes were necessary. “We don’t have to take Austria and Germany as our role models in everything,” he said.

Dalija Oreskovic of the Centre party, which also supports vaccination, said that decisions taken by Parliament by a two-thirds majority would give greater legitimacy to the anti-epidemic measures affecting human rights.

“We would not be able to reach a two-thirds majority even if all seats here were red, let alone take key decisions on a daily basis on important matters on which human lives depend,” Zeljko Reiner of the ruling centre-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) said in response to the opposition demands.

Reiner said that the purpose of COVID passes was to protect human lives and health, noting that both Pope Francis and Zagreb Archbishop Josip Bozanic were advocating vaccination.

Sinisa Hajdas-Doncic of the centre-left Social Democratic Party said that everything would be much easier if all key decisions concerning pandemic management were taken by Parliament.

“We are not against COVID passes, but in the Croatian context they are inconsistent and illogical and a sort of punishment for political opponents,” Hajdas-Doncic said.

The majority of the opposition parties agree that the responsibility for the large number of COVID-related deaths and the overall COVID situation lay with the  HDZ, government and national COVID management team.

“Only one party is responsible for the death toll and that’s the HDZ, (Prime Minister) Andrej Plenkovic and the national COVID management team,” said Nino Raspudic of the conservative populist Most party, adding that since the start of the pandemic the three had assumed management of the COVID crisis, ignoring Parliament and “degrading the medical profession.”

Raspudic said that if the proposed amendments were adopted, COVID passes could be expected to be put into wider use after Christmas, after which vaccination might also be made mandatory.

Davor Bernardic (Social Democrats group) said that the national COVID management team was just an extension of the government and had often made illogical decisions that were in conflict with common sense.

Katarina Peovic of the left-wing Workers’ Front said there was no doubt that the responsibility for the present situation rested fully with the HDZ, but added that the opposition had also failed to make its contribution.

She criticised the parties nominally belonging to the left side of the political spectrum for arguing that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people can spread the virus. “This is utter idiocy,” she said, stressing that vaccinated people transmitted the virus much less often.

Peovic suggested that Bernardic form a club to advocate that drunk people should also be allowed to drive because sober people can cause road accidents too.

Milorad Pupovac (Independent Democratic Serb Party) urged the health minister to consider making testing free. “A way should be found to help people who will not have money for testing, who cannot get vaccinated and who depend on testing,” he said.