Emerging coalition offers to stay in power until early elections

The would-be coalition of the Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Greens are going to offer to Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek that their coalition cabinet would stay in power only until an early election next year. It would prepare a state budget for next year and a change to the election system which would prevent political deadlocks like the one the country is experiencing now. The Civic Democrats, the Christian Democrats and the Green Party have been in talks since June about the forming of a governing coalition, however, the grouping has only 100 votes in the 200-member lower house where elections in June produced a perfect split between the leftist and centre-right parties.

Prime Minister and Social Democrat chairman Jiri Paroubek has reiterated that his party refuses any kind of agreement with the three-party coalition. Civic Democrat chairman Mirek Topolanek has said he is planning to meet Mr Paroubek and present the offer to him in person.