ZAGREB, March 30, 2020 – The Social Democratic Party (SDP) wants parliament not to stop sitting for as long as the coronavirus epidemic lasts, recommending that parliament should sit from Monday to Friday and not from Wednesday to Friday as is now the case.
The chairman of the SDP’s parliamentary group, Arsen Bauk, sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković on Monday calling for the current sitting to continue until 3 April as previously scheduled and that during that time the Sabor should sit every working day.
There are still 81 items on the agenda that have not been discussed yet, and the SDP forwarded a package of nine bills to parliament on March 27 aimed at supporting the economy during the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic and which the party believes should be debated as soon as possible at a plenary session.
The strongest opposition party also proposed that at the meeting of the Sabor’s presidency, scheduled for 1 April, a decision be adopted according to which the agenda would prioritise items related to relieving the health and economic consequences of the coronavirus epidemic.
The SDP further suggested that the number of lawmakers allowed to be present at the same time during a plenary session be determined using the same criteria as when determining the number of MPs per parliamentary group who can ask questions during Question Time and that the parliament’s working bodies and presidency meetings be held via video conference due to the extraordinary circumstances.
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