Video clips of slip-ups, stammers and other graceless demonstrations by Croatian politicians have appeared on YouTube, reports Reuters, and have sparked simmering hostilities between the HDZ party and the Social Democrats.

While YouTube users passed around slip-ups made by Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his administration, Interior Minister Ivica Kirin defended their honor by rebuking the video clips as the work of political enemies or under-educated citizens.

Then he called YouTube "Yubito" in a television interview, a move that rapidly turned him into the next big inside joke. "Yubito" began appearing on T-shirts and other items, a move that drove Kirin to threaten originators with lawsuits.

Zoran Milanovic, newly elected leader of the Social Democrats, was recently immortalized on YouTube as Zoran "No Idea" Milanovic after answering a number of talk show questions with "I have no idea."

The HDZ, Croatia's current ruling party, denied involvement but local websites pointed out identical Milanovic clips were posted onto YouTube at about the same time they appeared on the local HDZ branch's webpage.

Communication Expert Kreso Macan of Madison Consulting said that while there is no evidence parties are directly involved in the appearance of clips on the Web, "this is definitely part of the election campaign."

Social networking media is making waves in other elections as well, including the United States' 2008 presidential campaign.

The Croatian national election takes place in November. Opinion polls demonstrate the SDP have an edge over the conservative HDZ party.