He said the vote would take place in "a few weeks, not months." In a speech CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek delivered at the committee meeting this morning, he admitted that this time, too, the CSSD may fail to topple the government. In spite of this, it does have a sense to make the attempt, he said, adding that by doing so the CSSD would clearly distance Czech Social Democrats expel MP Snitily from party ...
Czech CSSD to vote on MP Snitily's expulsion in March ...
Prague Mayor Bem most popular Czech politician - poll ... itself from the policy pursued by the government of Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS). The opposition, including the CSSD and the Communists (KSCM), has made two attempts to push through a vote of no confidence in the government since the government was established in early 2007, but it failed both times. On Friday, the CSSD presidium called on the CSSD group of deputies to start preparing another vote of no confidence. The CSSD says the cabinet, also comprising the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Greens (SZ), is based on corruption, but it still pushes for a number of crucial things such as changes in the health sector and the installation of a U.S.
radar base on Czech soil. The CSSD also says the government communicates neither with the public nor the opposition. The CSSD minds the government's bill on church restitutions, and it also criticises KDU-CSL chairman Jiri Cunek's recent rejoining the cabinet in spite of "unusual" circumstances that led to the halt in Cunek's prosecution for corruption last year. "It is the highest time to stop their activities," Paroubek said, referring to the government. He and Hasek, nevertheless, conceded that some in the CSSD doubt the planned initiation and timing of the no confidence vote and say the CSSD could devaluate this institute by applying it too often. "I don't share the opinion," Hasek said. For the time being the opposition does not seem to be strong enough to topple the government. However, the CSSD and the KSCM may be waiting for the governing coalition to disintegrate over some of the controversial issues it has to deal with, such as the U.S. radar and certain aspects of the health care reform. At least 101 votes out of the lower house's 200 are needed for the house to express no confidence in the government. The government has 100 votes and the CSSD and the KSCM 97 votes together. In the previous attempts, no one from the coalition camp joined the opposition's effort to sink the government. On the contrary, the government was then backed by Milos Melcak and Michal Pohanka, two independent deputies elected for the CSSD.
(Ceske Noviny)
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