Justice ministry at work on proposal to change electoral law

The justice ministry has been working on a proposal which could change the country’s electoral law to prevent future post-election stalemate. The news was reported by financial daily Hospodarske Noviny on Friday. According to the newspaper, the proposal could include a so-called “winner’s bonus” which could tip seats in a close election in the winning party’s favour; that would lessen the danger of deadlock in the Chamber of Deputies. The last national election in June 2006 - although won by the Civic Democrats - ended in stalemate in an equally-divided lower house. The balance complicated negotiations on the new government for eight months. The justice ministry has been working on its proposal at the request of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of the Civic Democrats.