Government survives no-confidence vote

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek survived a vote of no-confidence in the lower house on Wednesday. The victory came only days after the coalition parties’ crushing defeat in regional elections, and some two months before the country is due to take up the rotating EU presidency.

Jan Hamáček

On Wednesday morning, things were looking grim for the government of Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek. Following a bitter defeat in the weekend’s regional elections and Tuesday’s failure to get the draft of next year’s state budget approved by the lower house, the cabinet was facing a vote of no-confidence. But ten hours later, the government emerged from the test victorious. Not only did the coalition manage to push the draft budget into a second reading but it also survived the crucial no-confidence vote. Social Democratic MP Jan Hamáček says, however, that the narrow victory should give the cabinet food for thought.

“It’s true that the government has survived, but I wouldn’t be too proud of it, had I been in the position of Mr Topolánek because it seems that he doesn’t have a majority in the house. As far as I know, it was 97 votes against our proposal and 96 votes in favour, so in if he were asking for confidence he wouldn’t have the required number of votes. So I think it’s something he should consider and take into account while planning the future of his government.”

Martin Bursík

Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Green Party Martin Bursík says the government is well aware of the fragile support it relies on, and will reconsider some of its policy priorities, as well as the way they are presented to the public.

“We are really going to reflect on the successes the government has reached so far as well as on the points which have not been well communicated or even not well politically formulated and designed. We want to sit down and re-evaluate our priorities to see which of them are indispensable and which are likely to get through Parliament with the fragile majority support we have had since the beginning of the government’s term”

Mirek Topolánek, photo: CTK

After winning the vote, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek told the house that his government was ready to offer the opposition a ceasefire for the duration of the country’s upcoming EU presidency. Given the recent speculations in the European press about the need to extend the French presidency at the Czechs’ expense, this would certainly take a huge load off the cabinet’s back. I asked MP Lubomír Zaorálek, the Social Democrat shadow foreign minister, if the opposition was ready to accept such a proposal.

“Yes, we are ready to cooperate on the Czech EU presidency, but I am afraid that the precondition and the prerequisite for a successful presidency is credibility and confidence in the government. And I feel very sorry, but it seems to me that while today this government was able to gain enough votes in the Chamber of Deputies, I’m afraid that the problem is there is an absolute lack of confidence and public support.”

The second round of the Senate elections, held this coming weekend, will be crucial for the ruling Civic Democrats since they might lose their narrow majority in the upper house. That would make it difficult for them to push through the domestic and foreign policy priorities. However for the time being, an important battle has been won and, with its mandate confirmed, the government can focus on the challenges ahead.