Jiri Paroubek calls for caretaker government

Meanwhile, the leader of the Social Democrats, Jiri Proubek, has reacted to Friday's unsuccessful vote in the lower house by calling for a caretaker government. According to Mr. Paroubek, the Civic Democrats need to accept a compromise solution to the current government stalemate. Mr. Paroubek says that failure to elect Jan Kasal as the chair of the lower house is akin to last week's failed attempt to elect Miroslava Nemcova of the Civic Democrats to the post. Social Democratic MPs did not vote for either candidate.

Mr. Paroubek has also rejected the Civic Democrat's offer to have the leader of the lower house be a Social Democrat, in exchange for support for the three-party center-right coalition.

A poll conducted by the on-line server Novinky indicates that 60% of respondents are against the idea of a caretaker government.