Communists may support caretaker government even without Social Democrats

Vojtech Filip, the chairman of the Communist Party, says that his party could agree to early elections and support a caretaker government even if the Social Democratic Party would not be involved in such an arrangement. Mr. Filip made the remarks in an interview for Monday's edition of the daily Lidove Noviny. Since the June elections, the Communist Party has been pushing for a government of national unity with a limited mandate. The initial condition of the Communists' was that such a government have the support of all parties in the lower house, but now Mr. Filip says that an agreement on a temporary government could be made even without the Social Democrats. Mr. Filip said that so long as the Civic Democrats nominate an independent expert as prime minister, the Communist Party has no reason not to support the proposal.