Cunek told reporters he cannot understand the Greens' stance since there is no legal and moral reason why he should not return to the post of deputy PM and local development minister. Cunek resigned from the coalition government in early November in reaction to Supreme State Attorney Renata Vesecka's order to re-open his corruption case.
However, the state attorney halted Cunek's prosecution again and the Supreme State Attorney's Office confirmed the decision later in November. After Cunek was exonerated from the corruption suspicion, his possible return to the centre-right cabinet started to be discussed. The KDU-CSL renominated Cunek for the government posts on Tuesday, which stirred up a new tension in the government coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), the Christian Cunek not ready to resign as Czech Christian Democrat leader ...
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Sex Pistols reunion is expanded ... Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Greens . If the four ministers for the Greens left the cabinet, the current ruling coalition would actually end. "This is one of the seriously considered alternatives," said Jacques, asked by CT whether all Green ministers would leave the cabinet if Cunek returned. "We believe that this situation will not happen, that the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) will understand that this is no good either for them or for this government, or that Prime Minister [ODS's Mirek Topolanek] will use his right simply not to nominate him [Cunek]," Jacques added. "If someone claims it, this is just a red herring," said Cunek about the Greens'arguments, adding that the Greens are playing their game, just trying to "highlight their colours." Asked whether he does not fear that Topolanek would succumb to the pressure and would not nominate him for the government, Cunek said he would "not be able to blackmail someone this way." Topolanek called Cunek's renomination premature. He did not rule out Cunek's return to the cabinet, but he said he would prefer a temporary solution, that is another KDU-CSL member heading the Local Development Ministry for the time being. Cunek was accused of accepting a 500,000-crown bribe from a real estate company in his capacity as the mayor of Vsetin, north Moravia, in 2002. He is also suspected of abusing welfare payments, while depositing high sums in his accounts in the 1990s. ($1=17.828 crowns)
(Ceske Noviny)
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