{news} Fw: USGP-INT Could Greens be part of Czech coalition government?

[Justine McCabe]

> http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/36640/story.htm
>
> Czech Green Party Makes Regional Breakthrough
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> CZECH: June 5, 2006
>
> PRAGUE - Support for the Greens in the Czech general election has made 
> them the first environmental party in eastern Europe to win seats in 
> parliament, results showed on Saturday.
>
> A relatively obscure group until former Environment Minister Martin Bursik 
> took over as leader a year ago, the Green Party had 6.3 percent of the 
> vote with most ballots counted, just above the five percent needed for 
> parliamentary representation.
>
> "I have to thank our voters. After all, people who cast votes for us were 
> giving votes to a party that wasn't in parliament. That takes more courage 
> than voting for well established parties where there is no risk," Bursik 
> told a jubilant crowd at the party election headquarters.
>
> With a policy mix of liberal economics and environmental causes, Bursik 
> has brought the party to prominence with his down-to-earth style, riding 
> trams with a rucksack over his shoulder instead of travelling in 
> limousines.
>
> He stayed out of the negative campaign waged by the two main parties, the 
> rightist Civic Democrats and ruling Social Democrats, earning the 
> admiration of former President Vaclav Havel, who endorsed the Greens 
> during the campaign.
>
> Projections show the Greens with seven seats in parliament and they are 
> likely to be asked by the rightist Civic Democrats to join a coalition 
> with the centrist Christian Democrats. The grouping would have 101 seats 
> in the 200-seat lower house.
>
> All three parties have similar economic policies on lowering the tax 
> burden, and reforming health care and pensions, although the Greens would 
> like new taxes on energy.
>
>
> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2211143,00.html
>
> Chaos after Czech election
> By Roger Boyes
>
>
> THE Czech Republic, one of the most prosperous of the new European Union 
> states, was plunged into political chaos yesterday after a closely fought, 
> mud-slinging election that left the two main groupings in a dead heat.
>
> “If you think that I’m just going to admit defeat and shake the hand of my 
> opponent, think again,” said Jirí Paroubek, the Prime Minister, known as 
> “the bulldozer” for his stubbornness.
>
> Despite a flourishing economy, his Social Democrats gained 74 seats in the 
> parliamentary election compared with the 81 seats captured by the 
> conservative Eurosceptic Civic Democrats, led by Mirek Topolánek.
>
> But neither party could put together a coalition of more than 100 seats — 
> too few to govern convincingly in the 200-seat parliament.
>
> President Klaus said that his Civic Democrats should have the first chance 
> to form a government and that Mr Paroubek was out of order. “I will not 
> tolerate the questioning of the results of a free election,” he said.
>
> Mr Paroubek, who during the election campaign was hurt by allegations that 
> he had links to the Prague underworld, is threatening to go to the Supreme 
> Court to ask for a recount, but most Czech observers believe that he will 
> have to accept defeat.
>
> The key party in coalition talks will be the Greens, who won 6.3 per cent 
> of the vote and seem likely to become the first Green party to enter an 
> East European parliament.
>
> If the Civic Democrats gain a firm mandate there will be a significant 
> shift in financial policy. Mr Topolánek wants to introduce a 15 per cent 
> flat rate of tax so that the Czechs can match the turbo-economies of the 
> Baltic republics. The Czech economy is flourishing and its GDP per capita 
> is now higher than that of Portugal
>
> http://www.ceskenoviny.cz/news/index_view.php?id=192175
>
> Topolanek to present list of ministers to Klaus -- Aktualne.cz
>
> Prague- Mirek Topolanek, chairman of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS), 
> which won the June 2-3 general election, will have a list of ministers in 
> his new cabinet prepared at Monday's meeting with President Vaclav Klaus, 
> the server Aktualne.cz. informed.
>
>
> The list will be completed on the basis of a ODS-led coalition with the 
> Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Green Party (SZ).
>
> Topolanek said today he would like to responsibly negotiate on a new 
> cabinet which will attempt to win confidence in the newly elected Chamber 
> of Deputies.
>
> Klaus has invited Topolanek to talks at the Presidential Office at Prague 
> Castle for Monday, 9:30 a.m.
>
> The list of the ministers' names was completed less then 24 hours after 
> the election results were announced on Saturday night.
>
> The server says that it was practically sure that the ministers on the 
> list would actually never assume their posts in reality.
>
> "It is just a formal attempt," a member of the ODS broad leadership, who 
> requested anonymity, told the server.
>
> According to the prepared scenario, Topolanek will submit the names of his 
> ministers to Klaus who will officially assign him with forming a new 
> government.
>
> Topolanek's cabinet will then ask the new Chamber of Deputies for 
> confidence at the lower house constituent meeting in the second week of 
> June.
>
> "We expect the cabinet not to win confidence as it can reckon only with 
> 100 votes of the right and centrist deputies," the source told 
> Aktualne.cz.
>
> Though the right-wing ODS won the elections to the Chamber of Deputies 
> after ten years, it is not able to reach a majority together with its 
> potential coalition partners as the left-wing parties, the Social 
> Democrats (CSSD) and the Communists (KSCM), have a half of the seats in 
> the 200-seat lower house.