Parliament observing its day, May 30

Zagreb - Parliament will hold a reception on Thursday to mark its day in memory of 30 May 1990 when the first democratically elected multiparty Croatian parliament was inaugurated, endingf nearly 50 years of communist rule.

Speaker Gordan Jandroković will remind guests - eminent politicians, social, cultural and religious figures - of that day.

Croatia's parliament, called Sabor, had a historic role through the centuries. After the inauguration of the multiparty parliament as the highest legislative and representative body, key documents were adopted in it which defined Croatia's future - the constitution, the constitutional decision on sovereignty and independence, and the decision to sever ties with the other republics and provinces of the then Yugoslavia.

Croatian citizens welcomed the inauguration of the new Sabor with enthusiasm and watched its first sitting with special attention. The first parliament speaker was Žarko Domljan.

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.