Former Chief Knight Ante Kotromanovic also walked out in protest after being denied the right to elect and be elected. He had been expelled from the Society for failure to pay his membership dues.
Along with General Lucic, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, the convention was attended by Defence Minister Berislav Roncevic in his capacity as Prime Ministerial envoy.
The Alka Society was established in tribute to the people of the Sinj region, southern Croatia, who defeated invading Ottoman Turks in battle in August 1715. In memory of that event, every August the Society organises a jousting tournament in which "alkars", lance-wielding horsemen dressed in traditional costume, match their skills as they target a metal ring ("alka") suspended over a race track.