Green Party gives Bursik clear mandate to negotiate

At a meeting over the weekend, the Green Party gave its leader, Martin Bursik, and his negotiating team a clear mandate to take part in coalition-building talks with all parties except the Communists. Mr. Bursik says that negotiations with the winning party, the Civic Democrats, and the Christian Democrats currently take precedent over discussions with the Social Democratic Party.

The Green Party stands by its campaign promise not to support any government that would be dependent on the backing of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia.

The Greens earned six percent of the vote in recent elections, and have a mandate of six seats in the lower house—their first-ever presence in high-level Czech politics. Mr. Bursik has not revealed which—if any—ministry posts may be desirable for the Greens in a coalition arrangement, though analysts say that the Ministry of the Environment is of logical key interest for the Greens.

Three Green Party members were also expelled over the weekend for their leadership of the so-called 'Leftist faction' that emerged just prior to the elections, causing an internal conflict within the party. Eva Holubova, Karel Volny and Vaclav Drbohlav were voted out of the Green Party.