Czech parliament asks premier to resign over bugging

Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
Published: Friday September 29, 2006

Prague- The Czech parliament Friday passed a resolution urging the resignations of Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek and two cabinet members over a wiretapping scandal. The non-binding resolution condemned Topolanek, Minister of Interior Ivan Langer and Deputy Prime Minister Petr Necas for accusing the former government of secretly bugging the phones of 46 people this year during a politically volatile police probe.

It said the three leaders had failed to prove the charge, formally levelled by the justice ministry Friday, that the government of former prime minister Jiri Paroubek ordered the bugs.

Topolanek, however, defended the charges and shrugged off the resolution. He called parliament's decision a product of the left-wing opposition and as realistic as announcing that "snow was falling" during Friday's warm weather.

The resolution came as Topolanek and his month-old, minority government prepared for a confidence vote in parliament, probably next week.

Paroubek and his liberal Social Democrats (CSSD) hope parliament votes no-confidence in the government led by Topolanek's conservative Civic Democrats (ODS), which took power after winning a June election.

The election left the 200-seat parliament evenly split between liberals and conservatives, fuelling months of political strife and raising the possibility of an early election next year.

Paroubek denies charges that he was involved in wiretapping phones of political opponents, journalists and even police officers.

The bugging allegedly occurred shortly before the election, but after a top police official gave parliament a report linking Paroubek's government to organized crime. The taps were allegedly ordered to find leaks that led to the report.

Paroubek called the report part of a dirty tricks campaign that helped Topolanek win the election.

Meanwhile the Topolanek camp has compared the former government to the country's old communist regime, which bugged opponents extensively.

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa