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The coalition government led by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek approved on Wednesday its policy statement with which it will ask the Chamber of Deputies for a vote of confidence. Deputy prime minister Petr Necas made the announcement during the government session on Wednesday without giving further details. The centre-right coalition made-up of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and Greens has included in the document concessions agreed with Social Democrat deputies Milos Melcak and Michal Pohanka in return for tolerance for the government.

In agreement with the MPs, the government has pledged, for example, not to raise taxes but to introduce tax reform that will be advantageous for all income groups. The government is also to draw up a new bill on non-profit hospitals that will guarantee the existence of teaching hospitals based on the non-profit principle.

In related news, Mr Paroubek admitted in an on-line interview on Wednesday that following Friday's vote the Social Democrats will be tough in the opposition in the lower house. In the interview Mr Paroubek repeated earlier criticisms but also extended blame to the country's president, Vaclav Klaus. Mr Paroubek criticised the president for twice naming Mirek Topolanek prime minister in the efforts to form a government, one that Mr Paroubek has said, following Tuesday's events, would now be founded on blackmail and betrayal. He said that he would recommend Social Democrat deputies not to back Mr Klaus in his expected bid for re-election next year.

The Civic Democratic Party's executive body has assessed a report by Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek outlining preparation for Friday's confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies, and praised steps taken by party negotiators. The news was made public Wednesday evening by the party's first deputy chairman Pavel Bem. On Wednesday the body also approved the policy statement of the coalition government, including a number of last-minute changes, concessions to the two rebel Social Democrat MPs who have agreed to leave the chamber during Friday's vote.

The development marks a turn-around in fortunes for the prime minister who faced criticism from some Civic Democrats in recent weeks. Mr Bem stressed that Mr Topolanek had broad support from the party leadership. He himself was one of Mr Topolanek's more prominent critics concerning efforts at forming a coalition government with the Christian Democrats and the Greens. On Wednesday Mr Bem expressed confidence all Civic Democrats would vote in favour of the centre-right cabinet during Friday's vote.

Poll: Bem, Parkanova most popular politicians

A new poll released by the STEM agency has suggested that Prague Mayor Pavel Bem and Defence Minister Vlasta Parkanova currently top public popularity. Mrs Parkanova and Mr Bem were rated favourably by 63 percent of those queried, followed by Jiri Cunek, the head of the Christian Democratic Party, and Martin Bursik, leader of the Greens. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek was seventh on the list with 38 percent favourability, while Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek was tenth. Communist Party leader Vojtech Filip rounded out the bottom of the list, finishing twelfth.

The AFP news agency has reported that a court in the region of Olomouc has confirmed that a Czech hospital in the east of the country should apologise to a 24-year-old Romany woman for having sterilized her without her consent. At the same time, the court also ruled she is not entitled to compensation. The landmark case is the first of around eighty complaints submitted by Romany women who say they were sterilized without permission. The latest ruling confirmed an earlier decision in November against which both the hospital and the Romany woman, Helena Ferencikova, appealed.

Mrs Ferencikova was sterilized in 2001 at a hospital without consent after giving birth to her second child. Hospital doctors said that it carried out in the interests of the patient's health and that she had signed a letter of agreement. But, Mrs Ferencikova has said she was only given the document to sign when she was already in the throes of birthing pains.

She had been asking for compensation of one million crowns, (the equivalent of around 45,000 US dollars). The court has sought guidance from the Supreme Court on whether or not she may entitled to financial compensation for moral damages suffered.