MP leaves Social Democrat parliamentary party

Social Democrat MP Milos Melcak has said he plans to leave the party's faction to sit as an independent, a move that could tip the balance of power in a hung parliament. Mr Melcak told the news server Aktualne.cz that he had been facing a lot of pressure in recent days. He did not rule out he might vote for the new government of PM Mirek Topolanek regardless of his party's stance. Mr Melcak would be the second Social Democrat deputy to leave the party faction. In October, MP Michal Pohanka left the faction after a television report linked him with people charged with fraud.