Public Affairs may withdraw support to government

Prague, April 10 (CTK) - The Public Affairs (VV) will not support the Czech cabinet of Prime Minister Petr Necas if he does not meet its demands that some of the cabinet members leave the government, VV leader Radek John indicated in a televised debate Sunday.

Interior Minister John said at a planned meeting of the coalition government he wanted to propose replacements for outgoing ministers nominated by the VV, which meant himself, Education Minister Josef Dobes and Transport Minister Vit Barta.

John said he insisted on the departure of Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09), Agriculture Minister Ivan Fuksa (Civic Democratic Party, ODS) and Defence Minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS) from the government.

Necas said on Friday he wanted to reshuffle the cabinet, replacing the ministers who were not up to their jobs.

Necas said on March 10 he would link the vote on a pension reform with a confidence vote.

If the VV withdrew from the government, the ODS and TOP 09 could form a minority cabinet with a tacit support by a part of VV deputies.

Social Democrat (CSSD) leader Bohuslav Sobotka said the government should ask the Chamber of Deputies for confidence and if it did not do so by Friday, the opposition would propose a no confidence vote in the government.

TOP 09 leader Karel Schwarzenberg said he did not presume the government would do so.

"No, since this is not any constitutional duty, I do not consider it correct," Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg said.

Schwarzenberg said the ODS and TOP 09 would try to gain majority in the lower house, but the parties did not want to rely on renegades.

"I hope that there will be some people in the whole of the VV who will support on what we have embarked. I am speaking about the whole party," Schwarzenberg said.

John said in the debate that the VV did not depend on the ABL security agency that belongs to Barta's family.

He dismissed the notion that Necas linked all VV members with the firm.

John said the VV was no mafia octopus that had seized the whole of the Czech Republic.

John said Dobes was the only member left in the government who had been employed by the ABL.

John repeatedly stressed that the VV had nothing to do with the ABL apart from its being openly sponsored by the ABL.

"The ABL cannot be separated from the VV. There is an absolute link. This is no mainstream party, but a business project, perhaps belonging to a single person," Sobotka said.

"It is impossible for the government to include a firm. In the next elections, perhaps the CEZ national power company or Sazka lottery could run," Sobotka said, adding that he did not wonder that Necas wanted to resolve the situation.

This is right, but too late, he added.

Citing from the ABL's documents, daily Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) wrote on Friday that Barta, former head of the ABL, had entered politics in order to gain economic power.