Fears grow that Civic Democrats may not survive post-election no-confidence vote

A vote of no-confidence in the centre-right government which the opposition Social Democrats plan to call after the upcoming local and Senate elections has led to fears within the ruling coalition that it may not survive the vote. The concerns have been voiced amidst increasing turmoil within the majority coalition party due to a recent scandal involving potential blackmail of party members. The coalition currently has 100 seats in the 200 seat parliament – its mandate was gained through several Social Democrat defectors who voted for the coalition. However, concerns have been raised that as many as five party rebels may now vote against the government.