Jiri Rusnok. Photo by EPA
The new Czech government of Prime Minister Jiri Rusnok has lost a confidence vote, extending the political instability that has undermined the country.
Rusnok was appointed by left-leaning President Milos Zeman in June following the resignation of former Prime Minister Petr Necas and the collapse of his center-right coalition.
The three center-right parties that oppose Rusnok gathered enough votes in parliament to trigger the confidence vote, which ended with 100 voting against the president’s ally and 93 in favour.
Rusnok will likely stay in power pending discussions among political parties on holding an early election before the end of the year, according to Euronews.
The resignation of Necas’sgovernment came after his aide Jana Nagyova was accused of trading posts in state-owned companies for parliamentary seats and illegally using the military intelligence service to spy on people, including Necas’s wife, Radka Necasova, whom he was divorcing.