"We think that this government is bringing disgrace on Croatia and that this cabinet should leave," Milanovic said, speaking on behalf of 58 MPs who supported the SDP-sponsored motion to give Kosor a no-confidence vote.

The 58 deputies hold PM Kosor responsible for a deteriorating economic situation in the country, failure to implement reforms and poor public credibility, stressing that this was caused by numerous financial scandals and internal conflicts in the ruling Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ).

"The government has lost all credibility, indictments are being issued against top government and HDZ officials for serious crime, plunder, the siphoning of money from state companies, all of which causes unease and political response in a democracy. This is a political response," Milanovic said about the motion.

He reiterated that Croatia was currently hostage to the internal fighting in the HDZ.

The international reputation of the HDZ-led Croatia is deteriorating, Milanovic added, describing the visit by PM Kosor to Brussels on Monday as PR.

The results (of the visit) is a warm hug and a cold distancing remark by the European Commission President (Jose Manuel Barroso ) that he does not know when Croatia will wrap up the accession negotiations and that everything depends on us, the SDP leader said.

After Kosor yesterday described Milanovic's refusal to attend a meeting of all parliamentary parties she convened for Thursday on the topic of Croatia's European Union membership talks as his plan to turn everything to ashes, the SDP leader today said that while the SDP-led coalition government, in power from 2000 to 2003, had been doing its best to take Croatia on the European path, others had organised protest rallies at Split's Riva waterfront.

This government is no longer capable of leading Croatia, it has no reform potential, the entry into the EU is being postponed indefinitely, and therefore the government is unsuccessful and responsible for giving a bad example, he said.