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The Czech military will reportedly get new Tatra personnel carriers several years later than planned earlier because of cuts in the state budget. Deputy Defence Minister Martin Belcik has told the daily Pravo the deal would be postponed but not cancelled. The Defence Ministry was to sign a contract on the purchase of more than 550 vehicles worth 6.8 billion crowns (the equivalent of around 310 million US dollars) by the year's end. In addition to deputy defence minister said that the lower budget will also stop other investment projects, including the planned repairs or completion of a number of bases, the modernisation of computer equipment, and improvement to Czech-owned Russian-built helicopters. The postponement of the Tatra purchase could still face reversal under a new government, expected to be appointed in a few days' time.

The Austrian police have detained two arms traffickers from Vienna and Lower Austria who allegedly acquired an arsenal of weapons in the Czech Republic. The APA Austrian news agency issued the report. Detectives had been monitoring the suspects for some time, even wiretapping phone calls. During a property search, police reportedly uncovered almost thirty firearms, two gas pistols and some 13,500 rounds of ammunition. According to police, both detained men probably planned to sell the weapons illegally in Austria.

The leading Civic Democratic candidate for the post of minister of finance, Vlastimil Tlusty, has announced that in addition to early elections, his party intends to prepare several reform proposals. The Civic Democrats plan to present concrete pension and tax reform proposals to the other parties during negotiations over support for a Civic Democratic minority cabinet. Mr. Tlusty told reporters that the other parties will likely "ruin everything" but that the Civic Democrats must try to gain support for the reforms.

Meanwhile, the Social Democrat leader and outgoing Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek says that he expects to be entrusted with the task of forming a new government in October, since he does not believe that a minority Civic Democrat government can win a confidence vote in the lower house. Mr. Paroubek told reporters that in the coming weeks his party will stay in opposition, prepare for local and Senate elections and refrain from any negotiations on a future government.

The leader of the Party of European Democrats (SNK-ED), Jana Hybaskova, announced on Wednesday that her party wants to launch a constitutional appeal in order to remove the Social Democrats from power because they do not respect court rulings and endanger democracy. Ms. Hybaskova made the statements at a press conference where she aired the grievances of the European Democrats, who are owed about 15 million crowns ($681 000 USD) according to a May court ruling. The dispute over the money for campaign contributions dates back to 2002, when the European Democrats ran as an association, rather than as a party or registered coalition; it is on this count that the Ministry of Finance has refused to make the payment, despite the court ruling in favour of the European Democrats. Ms. Hybaskova says that her party was left shortchanged during the recent June 2006 elections, when it could have used this money during the campaign.