PM drops pre-requisite of early elections

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek - the leader of the right-of-centre Civic Democrats - has announced that his party is no longer favouring early elections as a way out of the continuing political stalemate that followed inconclusive elections in June. Mr Topolanek made the announcement at a joint press conference with the Social Democrats' Jiri Paroubek on Monday. The Civic Democrats leaders' decision is a marked change in course: until now Mr Topolanek has pushed strongly for early elections in 2007 as the only viable way out of the deadlock. In his statement on Monday Mr Topolanek said he would be seeking a stable solution, a government that could rule until after the Czech Republic holds the rotating EU presidency in 2009.

As for the make-up of the new government, Mr Topolanek has proposed a rainbow coalition excluding only the communists.