Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek appears to have full support of Social Democrats in upcoming confidence vote

Social Democrat deputy Jan Kavan has said he is ready to support the new government of Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek in a May 13 confidence vote. Mr Kavan, a former Foreign Minister, was among five Social Democrat MPs who had threatened in recent days to vote against the new government. The group also included the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Vladimir Lastuvka, who, like Jan Kavan, has been calling for greater party influence in the sphere of foreign policy. A deal has been reached within the ruling coalition that will allow the party to choose who will fill the post of the first deputy foreign minister. With Mr Kavan on board, it now seems likely that the prime minister will have the support of all 70 Social Democrat MPs in the upcoming confidence vote.

Author: Brian Kenety