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The Independents political movement has lodged a complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court questioning the validity of the June 2-3 elections, the Independents' election leader Jana Hamplova said on Monday. She said that the Independents want the court to rule that the mandates of 200 deputies elected over a week ago are invalid. The Independents argue that the public service Czech Television only provided space in its pre-election discussion programmes to five political parties that later emerged successful from the election and therefore created the impression that there were only five electable parties on the Czech political scene.

According to the Supreme Administrative Court, it is the 26th complaint regarding the elections it has received, but it is the first complaint filed by a political party or movement.

The Czech Environmental Inspection office has decided to fine the chemicals maker Draslovka 2 million crowns for a leak of hazardous cyanides into the Elbe River in January. The firm will pay 1.9 million crowns (86,000 dollars) for illegal release of dangerous material and 100,000 crowns for failing to announce a warning in time. Company representatives said they respected the decision, adding that the firm wanted to invest 30 million crowns in special preventative and corrective measures this year. In January a cyanide leak from Draslovka killed some 10 tonnes of fish in an 83-kilometre stretch of the Elbe. Neighbouring Germany complained at the time that it had received the information about the accident too late.

The Czech power utility CEZ said on Monday that Western European power companies, faced with a shortage of skilled technicians and amid expectations of a nuclear power renaissance, are headhunting Czech nuclear power experts. A CEZ spokesman said that many western European countries had run down their nuclear industries and now lacked the necessary experts. The head of the Czech Nuclear Society, Vaclav Hanus, said that some new graduates in nuclear subjects had already taken up offers in Britain. He said British companies were prepared to offer 10,000 pounds (18,400 dollars) as a welcome bonus to new recruits. CEZ, which operates two nuclear power plants in the Czech Republic, says it sees the situation as a threat.

The Civic Democratic leadership, which is currently in the process of trying to secure support for a governing mandate, does not see a grand coalition with the Social Democrats as a viable option. Mirek Topolanek, the chairman of the Civic Democratic Party, says that this would go against the wishes of party members, as well as voters. At present, the Civic Democrats are in the process of negotiating a coalition with the Christian Democrats and the Greens, though this solution would still leave them with only 100 seats in the 200-seat lower house.

Over the weekend, all 74 newly-elected Social Democratic MPs signed a declaration vowing not to support a coalition led by Mr. Topolanek. Over the weekend, Social Democratic leader Mr. Paroubek said that he envisions a new Czech government will be formed by August.

Since the Velvet Revolution in late 1989, every election victor in the Czech Republic has managed to form a government.