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Zagreb - On the occasion of Croatian Parliament Day, observed on 30 May in memory of the inauguration of the first multiparty parliament on 30 May 1990 after the first free, multiparty democratic elections were conducted in Croatia in the spring of 1990, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said at a ceremony in Zagreb on Thursday that the the constitution of the Sabor on 30 May 1990 was a turning point for the Croatian people that elected their authentic representatives, opting for freedom and democracy.
Being driven by the centuries-long wish to have their own state and riding the waves of deep change in Europe, the Croatian people fearlessly chose freedom and democracy, Jandroković said at the ceremony in the Sabor.
The constitution of the multiparty Sabor on 30 May 1990 marked the rebirth of the Croatian state and restored pride and dignity of the Croatian people, he underscored.
Therefore, the then leadership decided to declare that day as a holiday of Croatian statehood, he recalled.
The time is now ripe to reintroduce 30 May as Statehood Day, which is in accordance with the sentiment of the Croatian people and their commitment to the creation of a democratic legislature representing the people, he explained.
He recalled that the then parliament included deputies with various programmes and ideas as well as with good will to seek a common solution for the prosperity of the Croatian people and build a society on the sound foundations of justice, equality, truthfulness and liberty.
Until 2001, May 30 was observed as Statehood Day and was a public holiday. That year the coalition government led by the Social Democratic Party proclaimed May 30 Croatian Parliament Day, a memorial day. The current ruling authorities have hinted at the possibility of reintroducing Statehood Day on 30 May. As of 2001 Statehood Day has been observed on 25 June in memory of 25 June 1991 when the Croatian Parliament adopted a historic resolution initiating the process of disassociation from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia based on the results of a referendum held on 19 May 1991.
Reminding that one of the main tasks of parliamentary deputies is to work for the well-being of the society and citizens, Jandroković said that deputies in the incumbent parliament had worked on the preservation of political stability and strengthening of the legislative framework in the past two and a half years.
To date, 498 legislative solutions have been adopted by this 9th parliament, he added, underscoring Croatia's latest positive economic results such as a rise in Gross Domestic Product and improving macroeconomic indicators.
He also recalled that the 30th anniversary of the constitution of multiparty parliament would be celebrated during Croatia's chairmanship of the European Union in the first half of 2020.
Only 28 years since it gained independence, and six years since it entered the EU, Croatia takes over the rotating presidency over the union of 500 million people. "It is a huge achievement and recognition of the entire Croatian people and an event of strategic, social and political importance", Jandroković said.
In attendance at the special session were former parliament speakers as well as top government officials, including Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the judicial authorities as well as distinguished people from the business sector, education and public life.
Earlier in the morning, on the occasion of Parliament Day, Jandroković laid wreaths at Mirogoj cemetery at the Wall of Pain monument to Croatian victims, the central cross in Croatian Defenders Lane, at the grave of president Franjo Tuđman and at the grave of unidentified Homeland War victims.