"The Prime Minister has said that new people are new blood. Maybe they are, but new blood needs a heart to pump it, as well as a brain. We'll see if that is there also," Milanovic said.

He repeated that Croatia had had enough of conflicts in the HDZ, particularly considering the coming election year when the country's real goals would have to be established and when Croatians would have to decide what kind of state and economy they wanted.

Addressing HDZ MPs, Milanovic cited a regulation from the law on the criminal liability of legal entities, one of the last laws adopted by the government of Ivica Racan, saying that political parties too were legal entities and bore a big burden of moral, political as well as criminal responsibility.

Milanovic's address prompted as many as seven rebuttals from HDZ deputies, who all said that there were no conflicts in their party, which they said was not the case with the SDP.

Damir Kajin of the Istrian Democratic Party (IDS) agreed with Milanovic's statement that the proposed reshuffle was one of the HDZ and not of the government and that the HDZ was trying to save itself by making changes in the government.

Had there been any vision and desire for progress in the HDZ, Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor would have dissolved the government and called elections instead, Kajin said.

Vesna Pusic of the Croatian People's Party - Croatian Pensioners Party (HNS-HSU) asked the candidates for new ministers why they were joining the government "at the moment when the former prime minister who started the government's current term is on the run and in custody in Austria, when a former deputy prime minister of that government is standing trial, a former minister has been sentenced to prison pending appeal, when the (former) treasurer of the party heading the government has said things in custody that will make (the anti-corruption agency) USKOK question the entire government, and a number of executives of state-owned companies who are members of the ruling party are either in custody or have been in custody."

In any normal country only one of such scandals would prompt the government to resign, Pusic said, adding that the current government was not wanted by anyone, that it had lost legitimacy, and that it had not won the elections - "the elections were won by the person now in custody in Austria."

Pusic also wondered how the HDZ and the government intended to implement economic and other projects in only eight months of 2011 before the start of the election campaign, considering that they had failed to do so in the last seven years.

MP Dinko Buric of the regional HDSSB party said that the government reshuffle would not help Croatia and that the government should resign.

Not all people in the HDZ are thieves, there are also honest people, but there aren't any honest people in the party leadership, Buric said.

Responding to the criticisms from the opposition ranks, PM Kosor said that the duration of the term of the incumbent government would be determined only by the constitution and the parliamentary majority.

"The term of this government will last as long as this government enjoys support," Kosor said in response to opposition criticisms that her government lacked legitimacy because the last elections were won by Ivo Sanader and not by her.

"Elections are won or lost by political parties. The last elections were won by the party which I am heading, after that a ruling coalition was formed and that coalition is stable. The government I am heading enjoys the support of the parliamentary majority, that is a fact," she said.

Commenting on frequent calls from the Opposition to dissolve the government and call elections, the PM said they were the result of narrow party interests.

"The fact that the Opposition is invoking early elections does not mean that it will win them easily. Regardless of the election outcome, the next year should be won, it should be a successful year for the sake of Croatia's future."

She added that the government would not step down also because it had done a lot of work, the result of which were all opened and 28 closed policy areas in Croatia's EU entry talks.

She went on to say that she would be glad to hear words of encouragement from the Opposition regarding the government's anti-corruption campaign.

"That shows that some in this parliament absolutely do not support the government in its fight against corruption because they are afraid that they could be called to account," Kosor said.

Commenting on claims that following former HDZ treasurer Mladen Barisic's statement to USKOK, one could expect USKOK to question all government members, Kosor said that the Office of the State Attorney had dismissed such media speculation, but noted that it was everyone's duty, regardless of their position, to respond to summons from police and judicial bodies.