Civic Democrats to blame if Czechs cannot vote on EU constitution, says Paroubek

The Czech prime minister, Jiri Paroubek, says if a bill allowing a referendum on the European Union constitution does not receive the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament the Civic Democrats will bear responsibility for denying Czechs the right to vote on the issue. The prime minister made the comments in an interview for the Czech BBC. Mr Paroubek says the constitution is still viable, and a referendum should take place at the same time as general elections next June. For their part the Civic Democrats say the document is dead.

The prime minister is holding talks on the issue with the Communist Party; they say they are in favour of a referendum, but insist that money earmarked for a campaign calling for a yes vote should also be shared with opposition groups.