Czech leader survives vote test

Czech leader survives vote test

Spidla wanted to face down his critics

The Czech Government has scraped to victory in a confidence vote, after a gamble taken by Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla.

Mr Spidla called the confidence vote himself, after his three-party coalition performed poorly in a recent presidential poll won by right-winger Vaclav Klaus.

The move was being seen as risky, as the coalition has only a one-seat majority in the lower house of parliament.

But the gamble paid off, when 101 of the 200 members of the house backed the government in Tuesday's vote.

Referendum

"I thank the lower house for expressing confidence in the government," Mr Spidla said after the vote. "It is for me, and for the whole cabinet, a clear signal for the realisation of the government programme."

The government called the vote despite being keen to avoid upheaval ahead of the Czech referendum on European Union membership, which will take place in June.

But Mr Spidla also wanted to face down his critics, after Mr Klaus' surprise presidential win on 28 February.

Correspondents say the narrow victory will not solve differences at the heart of his coalition.

Mr Spidla's own Social Democrats are in coalition with the centre-ground Christian Democrats and the right-wing Freedom Union.

Some members of the Social Democrats believe the party is shifting too far from its left-wing origins, prompting a split in the presidential election which helped clear the way for Mr Klaus' victory.

But leading rebels within his own party had pledged to support Mr Spidla in the confidence vote.