The development of democracy in Croatia does not stop with this parliament's term in office, Leko countered, saying that the parliament would continue working to "promote the development of democratic institutions and standards."
"We have heard speeches about democracy and human rights protection and at the same time this parliament has done everything possible to prevent democratic debate by all MPs and opinions different from those of the ruling majority from being heard," said Davorin Mlakar of the opposition HDZ party.
"Representatives of the ruling majority here not only accuse but convict people on whom the judiciary has not ruled yet. That was seen only in Bolshevik regimes which I had believed would never be restored," Mlakar said in an allusion to an earlier statement by Social Democrat MP Nenad Stazic about HDZ MP Josipa Rimac, who was today stripped of immunity from criminal prosecution on suspicion that she bought a flat in an unlawful way.
Reformist Petar Baranovic said the parliament's term had been marked by a serious economic crisis which had put many challenges and tasks before the parliament and the government.
Citizens have given us a D grade, he said, calling on his colleagues to ask themselves if that was enough for a second term in office.
He objected that the ruling majority did not have the courage to return the government any law for completion and criticised the Opposition for not having had the strength to avoid fomenting base sentiments.
Mirela Holy of the Green ORaH party said the current parliament would be remembered for adopting a large number of laws under fast-track procedure, for the fact that some of them had been abolished by the Constitutional Court and that there had been cases of parliamentary procedure being misused. How unsuccessful the parliament has been is evidenced by the fact that we have failed to pass a code of ethics, she said.
She admitted that the parliament had processed a large number of laws but that it was not good that a majority of them had been adopted under fast-track procedure. Of 795 documents that were submitted, 158 were processed under regular procedure and 637 under fast-track procedure, she said.
Whether the parliament has fulfilled its role will be decided by voters who have often assessed its work as poor, said Croatian People's Party (HNS) MP Goran Beus Richembergh. MPs who have used the parliament to promote ideas that should be banned from democratic parliaments have contributed to that assessment, Richembergh said.
He thanked the first speaker of the seventh parliament, the late Boris Sprem, and Leko for doing their job well. "It was an honour to sit in a parliament presided over by you, thank you for raising standards and teaching us democratic values," said this deputy from the HNS, a junior partner in the ruling coalition.