Budget vote strains Civic Democrat relations with government

Wednesday’s budget drama has recast relations between the caretaker government and right-wing Civic Democrats. Civic Democrat chairman Mirek Topolánek said in an interview that the government should consider whether it should carry on. Other Civic Democrat party leaders have called for Social Democrat ministers to quit the government or warned that the Civic Democrats themselves will withdraw from it. The caretaker government was mainly founded on backing from the two biggest political parties in May after Mr Topolánek’s centre-right coalition lost a confidence vote. Prime Minister Jan Fischer has said he does not intend to resign.