Communists want Social Democrat government

The Communist Party has said it should now be the Social Democrats' turn to try and put together a new cabinet after the minority Civic Democrat government of Mirek Topolanek failed to get confidence from the lower house this week. Under the Czech constitution President Vaclav Klaus is obliged to appoint a new prime minister after the current government resigns but he said through a spokesman that he will not do that until after the local and Senate elections due in a few weeks' time are over. The Social Democrats came second in the June general election, trailing after the right-of-centre Civic Democats.