MPs back government in confidence vote

The caretaker government of Prime Minister Jan Fischer received a confidence vote from the lower house of Parliament on Sunday evening. The government was backed by 156 of the 194 MPs present. There was one vote against and 37 abstentions, mainly from members of the Communist Party and most Christian Democrats.

The government was backed by the two biggest parties, the right-wing Civic Democrats, left-wing Social Democrats as well as the small Green Party and a smattering of Christian Democrats. Prime Minister Fischer’s government should stay in power until early elections are held in October.

In his opening speech, Prime Minister Fischer underlined that his government was one of experts nominated by political parties. He said it would seek to push through a budget for next year but not take decisions which should be better left to elected representatives. He pledged government action to tackle extremism and racial attacks describing them as a cancer of democratic society. The pledge comes against a background of increasing incidents and tension.

The caretaker government was agreed after the centre-right coalition of former prime minister Mirek Topolánek was toppled by a no-confidence vote at the end of March.