- Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: President Vaclav Klaus names new government
- Date: 10th January 2007
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK UNIVERSITY DIRECTOR, ANALYST JIRI PEHE SAYING: "The government will be under pressure from the President, from part of the Civic Democratic Party and also from the media, because of personal problems of Mr. Topolanek. And I think that if this government happens to win the vote of confidence it will not last for very long. However, it is more
- Embargoed: 25th January 2007 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Czech Republic
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Domestic Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA68Y9B8WAC1P1SIVVFEN0ZR6L5
- Story Text: Czech President Vaclav Klaus named a new government led by rightist Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Tuesday (January 9) as the European Union member tries to extract itself from a seven-month crisis sparked by an inconclusive election.
"The entire Czech public ... will be following how you take up your posts in the coming days. We will equally closely follow how the confidence vote in your cabinet will proceed," Klaus said at the swearing-in ceremony at the ancient Prague Castle
Topolanek has formed a three-party coalition with the centrist Christian Democrats, the Green Party and his own Civic Democrats. But the grouping has only 100 seats, exactly half of parliament, with the other 100 controlled by leftists.
The constitution calls for a confidence vote to be held within 30 days but Topolanek has pledged to move faster.
However, analysts said even if Topolanek gets the simple majority of MPs needed to survive the vote, the hung parliament will make it hard for him to push through his programme of tax and spending reforms, welfare cuts and new healthcare user fees.
"The government will be under pressure from the President, from part of the Civic Democratic Party and also from the media, because of personal problems of Mr. Topolanek. And I think that if this government happens to win the vote of confidence it will not last for very long. However, it is more likely it will not pass the vote of confidence," said political analyst Jiri Pehe.
Key to Topolanek's chances of winning the confidence vote will be two deputies who have left the leftist Social Democrat parliamentary club to sit as independents.
Topolanek said he would start talks with the Social Democrats on supporting him, although they have rejected that.
Analysts believe that a so-called grand coalition is the only solution for the government, a notion which was rejected by Topolanek who prefers an early election if a stable government cannot be formed.
"The only solution (for the stable government) is really only the great coalition between the Civic Democratic Party and Social Democratic party. By the way, a solution which should have been accepted right at the beginning because it was the only majority to solution to the election or electoral deadlock and the politicians will be in the end in my opinion end up with exactly this solution," said political analyst Pehe.
The Czechs have already abandoned their goal of adopting the EU's common euro currency in 2010, since public spending reforms have not been tabled. The economy, however, has sped forward, shrugging off the lack of stable government.
This is the 50-year-old prime minister's second attempt to form a government since June's election. A minority government composed solely of his Civic Democrats failed to win a confidence vote in October.
The parliamentary speaker is empowered to make a third attempt to choose a prime minister, but the current speaker, a Social Democrat, has pledged to step down before doing so.
Electing a new speaker may be difficult in the hung parliament unless there is a wider deal among the main parties. If three successive attempts to form a government fail, the president can call early elections. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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