Centre-right wins Czech election on austerity plan

[The Northerner]

PRAGUE (Reuters) – Center-right Czech parties advocating austerity to prevent a Greek-style debt crisis beat pro-welfare leftists in an election on Saturday and looked set to form a government able to push through deep economic reforms.

The result is likely to end a year of uncertainty in which a caretaker cabinet has tried to steer the country through economic crisis after a center-right government collapsed in the middle of Prague's tenure of the rotating EU presidency.

While coalition talks including a new, untested centrist party may be tough, the outcome virtually eliminated chances of a stalemate.

Investors are keen for a strong government to nurture the European Union and NATO member through a nascent recovery after its economy contracted by 4.1 percent last year.

Civic Democrat election leader Petr Necas, who had said the leftists would lead the Czechs to national bankruptcy, said he would aim for "a government of budget responsibility" and his party should name the prime minister of any coalition.

"It's good news for the Czech Republic that responsibility won over populism, and that the Czech left was not allowed to take power," he said. "It is great news that will allow the Czech Republic to avoid a repeat of the Greek scenario."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100529/ts_nm/us_czech_election

[Go2Peace]

1. Good luck, Since when do Right wing governments spend less? They just redistribute it to the rich.

[JVS]

2. Europe doesn't have the whole military spending thing for the RW to do there.

I still think they're idiots for turning right in the face of a crisis of capitalism though.

[Mudoria]

3. That's because they expect us to keep them safe...