CZECH REPUBLIC: The Czech Prime Minister, Mr Vladimir Spidla, has survived a motion of confidence he called after members of his coalition government backed Mr Vaclav Klaus, the right-wing opposition candidate, in last month's presidential vote.
His attempt to reassert his authority paid off when all 101 coalition deputies backed the motion in the 200-seat parliament.
However, doubts about the government's stability remained last night despite the vote. The three government parties straddle the political spectrum, with Mr Spidla's left-leaning Social Democrats sharing office with the centrist Christian Democrats and the right-wing Freedom Union.
He also faces a challenge from within his own Social Democratic Party from supporters of the former prime minister, Mr Milos Zeman, later this month.
Yesterday's confidence motion came after two votes failed to elect a successor to former president Vaclav Havel. The government parties agreed to put aside their differences and nominated Mr Jan Sokol, a university professor and former minister for education. However, in the secret ballot, some coalition deputies changed their vote and gave their backing to Mr Klaus, the former prime minister.