President to appoint new government on Tuesday

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he will appoint a new government led by Civic Democrat Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek on Tuesday, seven months after inconclusive national elections. Mr Topolanek has formed a three-party coalition with the centrist Christian Democrats, the Green Party and his own right-of-centre Civic Democrats but the grouping has only 100 votes in the 200-seat lower house. Prime Minister Topolanek said earlier he would offer his resignation if the coalition fails to win a confidence vote, which must be called within 30 days of the government being appointed. Mr Topolanek's first - minority Civic Democrat - government lost a confidence vote in October.

President Klaus earlier expressed objections to the three-party coalition because, he said, it would have to rely on Social Democrat or Communist Party deserters to win a confidence vote. He also opposed the Green Party's nomination of long-time exiled senator Karel Schwarzenberg as foreign minister, fearing that his close links to neighbouring Austria would prevent him from championing Czech interests. Mr Topolanek has also come under fire from within his own party ranks for allocating more than half the cabinet posts to junior coalition partners.