Glavas is suspected of involvement in war crimes against Serb civilians in the eastern city of Osijek in late 1991.
With 106 votes in favour, five against and three abstentions, Parliament authorised the detention of and an investigation into Glavas in the so-called Sellotape case following a request by the Public Prosecutor's Office in Osijek.
Deputies further endorsed the MIP's decision to approve Glavas's detention in the so-called Garage case, which had been requested by Zagreb County Court investigating judge Zdenko Posavec for fear that Glavas might tamper with witnesses. This decision was carried with 108 votes in favour, three against and one abstention.
Parliament also approved the request by prosecutors in Zagreb that Glavas should be remanded in custody on account of the gravity of the crimes he is suspected of. This decision was carried with 105 votes in favour, five against and three abstentions.
Although last week the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) was against Glavas being remanded in custody on grounds of the gravity of the crimes and in the Sellotape case, after a meeting of the party's Club of Deputies on Tuesday, most of its deputies today supported the MIP's decision, with only a small number of them abstaining from voting.
Parliament Speaker Vladimir Seks rejected requests by the Party of Rights (HSP), the Peasant Party (HSS) and Glavas's HDSSB party that the MIP should meet again in closed session so that all MPs could examine the case file before the vote.
HSP leader Anto Djapic accused the HDZ of deluding MPs and the public by proposing at last week's parliamentary debate that Glavas should not be remanded in custody on grounds of the gravity of the crimes.
Djapic rejected an interpretation that by rejecting the request for Glavas's detention Parliament would be interfering in the judiciary's work, insisting that the Sabor had such powers under the Constitution and that it "is not accountable to the international community or the European Commission, but to the Croatian people."
Djapic said this was a precedent, because the Croatian Parliament had never before decided on the detention of a member of Parliament. He recalled that "Prime Minister Sanader's friend Silvio Berlusconi was protected by the Italian Parliament when ten charges were brought against him."
Vladimir Sisljagic of the HDSSB said that 19 days had passed between the MIP decisions and the plenary session at which Glavas's immunity was discussed, and that the HDZ had enough time to study the MIP's conclusions thoroughly and "make a coherent decision".
"We thought we were dealing with serious people, and you deluded the MPs and the Croatian public," Sisljagic told the HDZ deputies, warning that Glavas was still on a hunger strike in detention.
"If a hunger strike can force the Sabor to change its judgement, than this body has no authority," Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) retorted.
The president of the strongest opposition Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ivica Racan, said that the MIP's decisions should be supported, adding that the HDZ's behaviour harmed the Sabor's reputation and that the whole case was politically manipulated.