Parliament topples Czech government

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Parliament topples Czech government



PRAGUE - The Czech government collapsed yesterday after losing a parliamentary no-confidence vote over its handling of the economic crisis.

It was a huge embarrassment for Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, coming just days before a planned visit by President Obama and midway through the Czech Republic's six-month European Union presidency.

The lower house of Parliament voted 101-96 to declare no confidence in the three-party coalition government, after four lawmakers broke rank with their parties and voted with the opposition.

It was the first time a government has been ousted by Parliament since the country came to existence after the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia.

Topolanek said he could resign after a planned trip to Brussels today. "I take the vote into account and will act according to the Constitution," he said.

There has been no indication of whom President Vaclav Klaus might choose to form a new Cabinet.

The government has struggled to resolve deep divisions within Parliament over whether to allow components of a US missile defense shield on Czech territory, and whether to adopt EU reforms to streamline decision-making in the bloc.

In recent months, opposition lawmakers also said they became frustrated with the government's response to the global economic slowdown. Before the crisis, the export-oriented Czech economy had been growing fast, but the country is expected to enter a recession this year.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/ar...ech_government/

[rsol]

hmmmm sounds fishy in the extreme. a like this "no confidence" thing. Since when has the opposition in ANY Parliament been confident of the leadership??:)

The sentence that pricks my ears..

Quote:The government has struggled to resolve deep divisions within Parliament over whether to allow components of a US missile defense shield on Czech territory, and whether to adopt EU reforms to streamline decision-making in the bloc.

And all it took was 4 members to break rank. hardly a solid majority....id like to know their names and why they broke rank...