Caretaker PM: government has backing of Civic Democrats if it attempts to curb deficit

The caretaker Czech prime minister, Jan Fischer, says the country’s biggest right-wing party the Civic Democrats will continue to back his cabinet – if it attempts to curb the swelling public finance deficit. Mr Fischer made the comments after talks with Civic Democrats leader Mirek Topolánek in Prague on Tuesday morning. The meeting followed a lower house session last week in which next year’s budget was approved, with a record deficit, only after the Social Democrats forced through increased funding for social services, civil servants’ salaries and payments to farmers. On Monday the government said it would do all in its power to keep the budget deficit at or below 5.3 percent of GDP.

Mr Topolánek said the interim government – which was selected by his party and the Social Democrats – must oppose any left-wing proposals that would deepen the deficit. He indicated that ministers who back such proposals should quit the cabinet.