29-05-2010, 09:11 PM
The left-wing Social Democrats eked out a slim victory in the Czech Republic's parliamentary election Saturday but center-right parties won more votes overall, creating uncertainty over who will form the next government.
Results reported by the country's election agency indicated that the Social Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, will not be able to govern alone and may not even be able to successfully put together a new coalition.
The Statistics Office said the Social Democrats won 22.1 percent of the vote while their major rival, the conservative Civic Democratic Party, received 20.2 percent.
With more than 99.8 percent of the votes counted, a new conservative party, TOP 09, got 16.7 percent, followed by the Communists with 11.3 percent and another new party, the centrist Public Affairs, with 10.9 percent.
Pre-election polls had predicted a much wider margin of victory — about 30 percent — for the Social Democrats, prompting Paroubek to resign as party chairman later Saturday.
"We expected a better result," Paroubek said. "This country is on the way toward a right-wing coalition."
Results reported by the country's election agency indicated that the Social Democrats, led by former Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek, will not be able to govern alone and may not even be able to successfully put together a new coalition.
The Statistics Office said the Social Democrats won 22.1 percent of the vote while their major rival, the conservative Civic Democratic Party, received 20.2 percent.
With more than 99.8 percent of the votes counted, a new conservative party, TOP 09, got 16.7 percent, followed by the Communists with 11.3 percent and another new party, the centrist Public Affairs, with 10.9 percent.
Pre-election polls had predicted a much wider margin of victory — about 30 percent — for the Social Democrats, prompting Paroubek to resign as party chairman later Saturday.
"We expected a better result," Paroubek said. "This country is on the way toward a right-wing coalition."
"Let me issue and control a nation's money and I care not who writes the laws. - Mayer Rothschild
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass
"Civil disobedience is not our problem. Our problem is civil obedience! People are obedient in the face of poverty, starvation, stupidity, war, and cruelty. Our problem is that grand thieves are running the country. That's our problem!" - Howard Zinn
"If there is no struggle there is no progress. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and never will" - Frederick Douglass