After obstructing the prime minister's speech in Parliament on Tuesday by banging on their desks, the opposition parties said that denying an MP the right for a break in proceedings was a defeat of democracy and destruction of Parliament, and that it showed what Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic was truly like.

Chairman Željko Reiner denied the floor to Marijan Pavlicek (Croatian Sovereignists), who had requested a break in the proceedings, but instead gave it to Prime Minister Plenkovic to present his annual report. Pavlicek said that this was “a defeat of democracy in Croatia.”

“I don’t know if these are the European values Andrej Plenkovic often talks about, but this is certainly not happening in Western Europe,” Pavlicek told the press after the prime minister’s speech. “I wonder what’s next. Will all of us who don’t think the same be summarily sentenced to prison? This only goes to show how low Croatian democracy has sunk during the reign of Andrej Plenkovic,” Pavlicek said.

Social Democratic Party leader Pedja Grbin said that what happened today was only a reaction to the prime minister’s I-can-do-what-I-want arrogance. “His behaviour is beyond the pale. Look, mate, you have to wait for your turn or what happened today will happen to you. Such behaviour on the part of Plenković and the HDZ deserves nothing but noise, a din and the metaphorical middle finger that we showed him.”

“Although we do not like these methods, it is good that this happened today, because it has come to light what Andrej Plenkovic is truly like,” said Marija Selak-Raspudic (Most party). “Anyone normal would stop in that situation. And he could have said, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, allow the opposition member to have his break and let’s all wait to see what happens so that the situation calms down, but no.”

“The prime minister decided to ignore the problem, ignore our warnings and went all the way as if nothing was happening. A person who is able to do this should not be applauded, but should be feared. As recently as yesterday, we from Bridge said that we would claim back Croatia. But after this today, which is the turning point, we are saying here, calmly and confidently, that we are claiming Croatia back,” she added.

Sandra Bencic (Mozemo!) said that the opposition obstructed the PM’s speech because he took away the floor from a member of Parliament “in a truly unusual and new way”.

“We will ask the Committee on the Constitution to examine the footage and decide if the Rules of Procedure were violated, although we already know what the conclusion will be because the HDZ has a majority on the Committee,” she said.

Bencic announced that she would report this violation of the Rules of Procedure to the Constitutional Court again, because “it is a repeated practice by the ruling parties and the prime minister to deprive MPs of the opportunity to speak.”

She said that Plenkovic had “captured” all independent institutions and was now trying to completely destroy Parliament and the role of Parliament. “Parliament is not subordinate to him, Parliament does not answer to him, but he answers to Parliament,” Bencic said.

Marijana Puljak (Centre) said that the HDZ members applauding Plenkovic “is the image of Croatia as the HDZ sees it, as a training ground where they will cheer and bow to the great leader, regardless of what he is saying, what measures he is implementing and how he is leading the country. To Andrej Plenkovic, the HDZ equals Croatia, and every day, every session of Parliament shows this to be true – it’s either the HDZ or Croatia.”

The Social Democrats group did not join the opposition’s action. Their leader Ivana Posavec-Krivec said that what happened today “was not the level of conduct that the Croatian Parliament deserves either in terms of parliamentarism or democracy.”

“Today, the Rules of Procedure were grossly violated because the session was chaired by the leader of the HDZ group, not the Deputy Speaker of the Croatian Parliament, and he did so in the manner of a true party man. In the end he bowed to his president, stood up and congratulated him,” she said and added: “What we experienced today is simply a shame, it shouldn’t happen on either side, and our message is that you can’t do anything by force, you can’t even win elections by force.”

Responding to a reporter’s remark that they did not participate in the opposition’s action, Posavec-Krivec said: “I don’t think the opposition did the wrong thing, it’s their legitimate right, but that’s not our style.”

Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) leader Dalibor Paus said that his party did not take part in the opposition’s “performance” in Parliament because “for the IDS there are not two Croatias, but one in which the rights of all are respected.”

“The IDS today presented its opinion on the government’s performance, on the need for fiscal and administrative autonomy, the need to introduce the values we have stood for for decades and to see which are the best tools for the further development of Croatia,” Paus told Hina.