Topolanek not expecting confidence support from small parties

Prime Minister designate, Mirek Topolanek, says that he is not expecting the Christian Democrats and the Green Party to support a Civic Democratic minority government in a vote of confidence in the lower house. Mr. Topolanek made the statement in an interview for the daily Hospodarske Noviny, clarifying that there must be a basic agreement between the two largest parties—the Civic Democrats and the Social Democrats—in order for any government to work. However, Mr. Topolanek also says that he also hopes to cooperate with the smaller parties—the Christian Democrats and the Greens—throughout his government's mandate.

Following June's elections which left the lower house split 100:100 for left vs. right parties, Mr. Topolanek's Civic Democrats worked on a coalition deal with the Christian Democrats and the Greens, but were still left with one vote short of a majority in the lower house.

Mr. Topolanek is currently in the process of forming a minority government. The current government's ministers will stay in their posts until a new cabinet is formed. As it stands, the country also has two prime ministers, with Jiri Paroubek standing as the acting prime minister until Mirek Topolanek forms a new cabinet.