"The HDZ parliamentary group has agreed on members of committees and working bodies which must start working tomorrow," said Kosor.

Asked if she would be chairing the Anti-Corruption Council, Kosor said the matter would be discussed some more because the party still did not know in which committees HDZ members would be presidents or vice-presidents.

"We will leave that discussion until after we know how many seats we have in individual committees and which committees we will be chairing," she said.

Commenting on statements by HDZ vice-president Darko Milinovic, who criticised her in Gospic on Tuesday for the election defeat, Kosor said that she acknowledged only statements given by HDZ Presidency members at meetings of party bodies.

"I don't acknowledge back-room talk," she said, adding that she would propose holding intra-party elections.

"Then I, too, will have the opportunity, like every other member of the party leadership, to say what our ambitions are, what we want to be if elected, and for which posts we will run," said Kosor.

Asked if she was in favour of more candidates running for posts, including that of HDZ president, Kosor replied by asking: "Do you think that the HDZ is not a democratic party? The HDZ has been a democratic party since its establishment."

Asked if she would have a rival in elections for party president, Kosor said, "If there should be any", adding that she did not say she would be running for party president.

She added that she would decide on the matter once a decision on intra-party elections was made.

The HDZ Presidency today issued a statement saying that it had decided unanimously to nominate Kosor and Seks as deputy parliament speakers and that it had adopted nominations for members of parliament's working bodies.

Kosor informed the Presidency that the HDZ would be represented in the ongoing criminal proceedings against the party by the law firm Penic-Budin.