PM expresses conviction government will win confidence

Asked on a Sunday TV debate programme what he thought his government’s chances in the confidence vote were, Prime Minister Rusnok said he thought it would get 96 or 97 votes in the 200-member Chamber of Deputies and expressed the convicition that would be enough. He said the numbers were difficult to gauge given the dynamic nature of the lower house but stated that Wednesday would be decisive. The former centre-right coalition says it has a 101 majority but it is unclear all of its MPs will be on hand for the confidence vote due to summer vacations.

Meanwhile, a new STEM/MARK poll commissioned by public broadcaster Czech TV has shed light on how members of the public view the coalition government: 37 percent answered it was a government of friends of President Miloš Zeman; 15 percent sees it as a government of experts, and 7 percent as a cabinet of the Citizens’ Rights – Zemanites party.