Spidla proposes minority Social Democrat-Christian Democrat government

The prime minister, Social Democrat leader Vladimir Spidla, has proposed forming a minority coalition government with the Christian Democrats, the Christian Democrats' Milan Simonovsky said on Friday, after a member of the other party in the current three-party majority coalition, the Freedom Union, voted against a government tax bill. The Freedom Union's Hana Marvanova voted with opposition parties against the bill, which was defeated by one vote. The package of tax reforms was intended to raise 10 billion Czech crowns to help deal with the devastation caused by August's floods, estimated to be up to 90 billion crowns.

Author: Ian Willoughby