No-confidence vote set for Friday

It has been announced that this Friday shall see members of the Czech lower house take part in a vote of no-confidence - called for by the opposition Civic Democrats in an attempt to bring down the country's coalition government. Voting will begin at 9 a.m. In all, all 58 Civic Democrat MPs signed the appeal for a vote of no-confidence - eight more than the 50 signatures required. It will be the second such test faced by the government this year: earlier in March Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla called for a confidence vote that the government passed through its one-vote majority. Government officials believe that the coalition will hold this time around as well. The opposition currently has only 98 deputies - one MP is in hospital. That means the opposition would have to gain three renegade votes from within the ruling coalition itself.