Communist Party outlines priorities ahead of 2006 election

The Communist Party has outlined areas it considers key in its campaign programme leading up to the national election this year. On Saturday Deputy Chairman Jiri Dolejs told journalists that top priorities included maintaining economic growth at a minimum 5 percent. The party would also like to focus on the health sector, employment, as well as education. The Communist Party, meanwhile, remains highly critical of the Czech Republic's membership in the European Union, and has called for the country's withdrawal from NATO.

In recent days, MPs from both the Communist party and the Social Democratic Party combined in Parliament to push through a number of key laws, including the new labour code. But, Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, the head of the left-of-centre Social Democrats, has repeatedly ruled out forming a future coalition counting the Communists as members.