"The situation in Parliament shows that the government enjoys support and this should be taken into account," Josipovic said in an interview with Croatian Television when asked about the possibility of an early election.

He said that the issue of parliamentary elections should not be crucial for the country, adding that it was more important that Croatia show to its electorate and to Europe that it was a stable democratic country in which elections, including early ones, were a normal affair.

"It is important to emphasise the national consensus on the European Union and that everyone is committed to reforms," the President said.

Josipovic said he had received a lot of letters from members of the public displeased with the manner in which the parliamentary debate on the proposal for a no-confidence vote in the government was being conducted and insults that were traded. "Very harsh accusations were heard from both sides."

He said that Deputy Speaker of Parliament Vladimir Seks did not mean it when during the debate he mentioned the possibility of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) being dissolved, adding that Seks later explained to him that his statement was a reaction to the provocation from the SDP benches.

"One should never even think of dissolution without clear criteria," the President said, adding that tensions should be defused and the political struggle should focus on the concrete problems of reform.

"There is great antagonism between the parties, but I think there is a national consensus on EU membership," Josipovic said.