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Social Democrat Deputy Milan Urban has been proposed by the prime minister to replace outgoing Jiri Rusnok as the country's new Trade and Industry minister. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla sacked Mr Rusnok on Thursday, just two days after the coalition government won a vote of confidence in parliament. Mr Rusnok's dismissal must now be approved by the country's president Vaclav Klaus. Meanwhile, a government spokeswoman said on Friday that Mr Rusnok's removal had nothing to do with a rebellion by some Social Democrat deputies in recent presidential elections, which allowed Mr Klaus to win the post. Other observers, however, point out Mr Rusnok was a key ally of Mr Spidla's predecessor, Milos Zeman. They say by sacking Mr Rusnok the prime minister has sent a clear message to opponents within his own Social Democrat party. Providing the president approves Jiri Rusnok's dismissal, Milan Urban will take his new post in government as of next week.

President Vaclav Klaus and his predecessor Vaclav Havel have both sent telegrams of condolence to the Serbian government following Wednesday's assassination of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. Mr Klaus said he was all the more shocked because he had known Mr Djindjic personally. Former President Havel said he was appalled by the killing.

The government of Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla won a vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday afternoon, after all the ruling coalition MPs voted in favour of the Czech cabinet. With only a simple majority needed, the coalition's one-vote majority was enough to ensure the confidence vote, meaning that all 101 coalition deputies in the 200-seat lower house voted in favour. The opposition Civic Democrat and Communist deputies voted against. Prime Minister Spidla called the vote after several party members defied him and party colleagues to vote for the opposition candidate Vaclav Klaus during the presidential elections on February 28.

Around one hundred people have demonstrated in Prague against a possible war in Iraq. The demonstrators, mainly Czechs, Iraqis and Americans walked through the streets of Prague carrying banners and chanting anti-war slogans. The protesters, organised by the Iraqi minority in the Czech Republic and the International Peace Movement, then staged a protest in front of the US and Iraqi embassies and read out their statements. The event was monitored by several dozen police.