The Czech government survived a major crisis Wednesday as parliament passed a tax hike which Prime Minister Petr Necas made tantamount to a confidence motion, thus thwarting a rise to power by the leftist opposition. The legislation, which slaps higher taxes on the rich and raises sales tax rates, was approved by 101 lawmakers out of the 195 present while 93 voted against.
"This vote confirmed confidence in the government," Necas said after the vote which was the seventh confidence motion against his centre-right administration since it took office in 2010. Protracted haggling with six rebel lawmakers from Necas's right-wing Civic Democrats (ODS) party who threatened to topple his three-party coalition ended in compromise Tuesday, allowing for the smooth passage of the tax hike aimed at cutting next year's public deficit to EU-mandated levels.
Had the government been shot down by the right-wing rebels, a snap election would have almost certainly propelled the anti-austerity left-wing opposition Social Democrats to power with the help of the far-left Communists who ruled in former Czechoslovakia in 1948-1989.
"We don't want the government to fall and the Communists to take power," rebel lawmaker Petr Tluchor said on Tuesday before he gave up his seat in parliament - part of the compromise saving Necas. Necas's coalition had only 94 seats in the 200-seat parliament without the rebels, so it needed their support and votes from former allies now sitting as independents. Three rebels were replaced by new ODS lawmakers, two voted with Necas and one abstained while three independents also raised their hands for the tax bill.