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Prime Minister Stanislav Gross has said he sees no reason for the government to initiate a vote of confidence in Parliament following the protracted government crisis. After a meeting with senior party officials, Mr. Gross told journalists that his Cabinet was fully functional and capable of meeting the challenges ahead. The Prime Minister also reiterated his intention to run for the post of party chairman at the upcoming party conference in March. Mr. Gross told journalists he was not considering leaving either of his posts - party chairman or prime minister. The ruling Social Democrats have been under pressure to ask Parliament for a vote of confidence and to choose a new party leader at their March conference.

The largest opposition party, the right-of-centre Civic Democrats, have said they expect the coalition government of Prime Minister Stanislav Gross to ask the lower house of parliament for confidence. Otherwise they said they will call a no-confidence vote in the government after the Easter national congress of the ruling Social Democratic Party at which Prime Minister Gross will seek election as party chairman. The Civic Democrats have been critical of the recent row within the governing coalition and suggested early elections as the only way out of it.

The government crisis had been caused by Prime Minister Gross's failure to provide a plausible explanation of how he financed a Prague apartment five years ago and how his wife funds her business. The controversies triggered a row between the two biggest coalition parties: the Christian Democrats called on the Social Democrat Prime Minister to step down and Prime Minister Gross in turn threatened to ask the President to sack the three Christian Democrat ministers. The Social Democrats now consider the government crisis to be over, after they gave the strong backing to Prime Minister Gross on Saturday and after he made a public apology for his statements in connection with the row.

Earlier on Saturday, the Prime Minister Stanislav Gross said he considered the government crisis, triggered by the controversies surrounding his family's private finances, to be over and called on his cabinet to get back to work. In a confidence vote on Saturday morning, his party gave Mr Gross the strong backing following weeks of crisis of confidence focusing on him personally. In three weeks' time Prime Minister Gross, who is the acting head of the Social Democrats, will seek election as party chairman at the Social Democrats' national congress.

"Horem padem" or "Up and Down" in English - has won the Czech Lion award for the best Czech film of 2004. The film, directed by Jan Hrebejk and produced by Ondrej Trojan, won a total of four prizes at Saturday's award ceremony in Prague; for best Czech film, best director, best script and best actress in a leading role.