The Czech Republic's centre-right minority government has lost a vote of no-confidence midway through the country's six-month EU presidency. Four rebel MPs voted with the opposition Social Democrats and Communists against PM Mirek Topolanek.
Mr Topolanek said he would step down, but correspondents say it is unclear how long he will remain in the post. The European Commission said it was confident the Czech Republic could continue its EU role effectively. Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek said ahead of the vote that the government could "complete the Czech EU presidency or its substantial part".
Tuesday's no-confidence vote in the lower house followed accusations that one of Mr Topolanek's advisers had attempted to pressure its public TV channel into dropping a programme critical of a former Social Democratic MP who had decided to back the coalition.
The BBC's Rob Cameron in Prague says this surprise result, which threw observers completely off guard, could have far-reaching consequences beyond the country's borders. In addition to chairing the European Council, the Czech Republic is also in the middle of ratifying the Lisbon Treaty and is in talks with the United States on placing a radar base on Czech soil. All these important foreign policy initiatives are now thrown into doubt, our correspondent adds.
(BBC)
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