Furio Radin spent an uninterrupted 34 years in the Croatian Parliament

(Patria) - The Croatian Parliament today supported the request of the longest-serving MP, Furio Radin, to freeze his mandate for personal reasons, after spending 34 years in parliamentary benches.

MPs supported him with a thunderous applause, and Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković expressed regret over his departure.

Before the vote, the Chairman of the Mandate and Immunity Committee, Robert Jankovics, reported that the mandate of the MP for the Italian national minority and current Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Furio Radin, will be suspended starting June 25, and he will be replaced in the benches by Marin Corva.

- I want to thank you for the last ten years I spent in Parliament with you. In light of the World Cup in football, I feel like Luka Modrić is leaving - said Jankovics.

Radin, who first entered the parliamentary benches in 1992, decided to put his mandate on hold for personal reasons.

He was elected as the MP for the Italian national minority ten times and was the longest-serving MP. He spent an uninterrupted 34 years in Parliament.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković also thanked him for his past work and political activity, noting that he was a bit sorry he had to read the decision to suspend Radin's mandate.

- This is a man who has been in parliamentary benches since the constitution of the second parliamentary convocation, and he took the parliamentary oath as many as 10 times, making him the MP with the longest tenure in the history of sovereign, independent, and democratic Croatia - Jandroković stated.

He added that Radin is an unrivaled record holder and one of the doyens of both Croatian politics and Croatian parliamentarism.

- We all know him as a pleasant conversationalist, a very correct man, who cared about the interests of the Italian national minority in Croatia, but also represented Croatia's interests in international relations - he said.

As an interesting fact, he also noted that it is exactly nine years to the day since Radin was elected Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

- I thank him for the exceptionally correct and quality cooperation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, dear Furio, I wish you much success and happiness, you will certainly have plenty of different interests and I am not afraid that you will be bored - he told him.

MPs also expressed their gratitude.

- I can only wish that we younger ones, who came after, leave an equal or similar mark. I am not sure if it is right to wish all of us so many mandates, but you can be proud of the role you have played in the Croatian Parliament - SDP's Marija Lugarić told him.

- After a good fight and a good race, I will wish you to enjoy what is the full meaning of life, and that is walking with your grandchildren and enjoying those fruits for which a person fears throughout his working life and hopes that everything will be fine - Ivica Ledenko (Most) also told him, who is also leaving Parliament.

The Parliament Speaker also wished him much success in his further life and work.

While Radin can reactivate his mandate after six months, Ledenko ceases to hold the position of MP as of June 23. Namely, he entered Parliament as a replacement for the elected MP Ivan Matić, who decided to activate his mandate.

After confirming the MIP's decision on the suspension of the mandate, MPs stood up and expressed their support for Radin with thunderous applause.

- Thank you for the kind words - Radin briefly responded to the MPs.

Given that he remains with them until next Thursday, he did not want to say goodbye, give speeches, or make statements yet.