"This is the final phase of privatisation. With the help of the holding we will sell the family gold and silver quickly to bail out banks, but in the end we will have no property left," Social Democrat (SD) MP Matjaž Han said.

There is no room in parliament for a broad debate, Positive Slovenia deputy Gašpar Gašpar Mišič said. "The argument of power defeats the power of argument," he added.

The decision by the opposition parties to walk out came after the coalition majority on the committee bypassed a PS procedural manoeuvre designed to delay adoption of the bill.

The party had filed a very similar motion in an attempt to prevent the government proposal from being fast-tracked, but the committee decided both bills will be fast-tracked and discussed under the same item on the agenda, as permitted by the rules of procedure.

The votes of coalition MPs sitting on the finance committee were enough to fast-track both documents and enable the National Assembly to vote on the bill in what will be only a week after the government adopted the bill.

The committee also adopted amendments to three-quarters of the articles in the bill, but chair Andrej Šircelj of the ruling Democrats (SDS) said further amendments would be filed at the plenary session.