Coalition parties still holding talks on new government without Gross

The three parties in the collapsed coalition are meeting once again to try to form a new government without Prime Minister Stanislav Gross. Mr Gross's Social Democrats have proposed forming a "pro-European" semi-technocrat government headed by career diplomat Jan Kohout; it would run the country until general elections in mid-2006.

Meanwhile, the Christian Democrats say they want nothing less than a new coalition agreement. They recently left the government in protest at Mr Gross's presence as prime minister, after he became involved in a financial scandal.

Author: Ian Willoughby