Prague - The main rival Czech parties remained split Sunday on the timing of a snap general election that they plan to push through if the country's top court disables a poll set for early October. The Constitutional Court on Tuesday put on hold an early election scheduled for October 9-10, so that it could examine a challenge against a one-off law that made the vote possible.
In a meeting late Sunday, party leaders agreed to permanently change the constitution, so they could quickly force through a snap election if the court strikes down the October poll or takes too long to decide on its fate.
Under the amendment, Parliament's lower House or the president would be allowed to dissolve the chamber if 120 of its 200 lawmakers support the motion. Currently, triggering a snap election is complicated and time consuming under Czech law.
But the heads of two main parties, Social Democratic leader Jiri Paroubek and Civic Democratic leader Mirek Topolanek, whose votes are needed to pass the constitutional amendment, failed to agree on such poll's date.
While the centre-right Civic Democrats and small parties prefer to hold the election on November 6-7, the Social Democrats want it to take place by the end of October, the leaders said after the meeting.
The Brno-based court is planned to start hearing the case on Thursday. It is unclear whether its 15 judges would rule on the same day.
Lawmakers could take up the bill introducing the fast track to early elections as soon as Tuesday. The proposal could clear Parliament's two houses by Friday.
The October 9-10 election was to produce a government with a mandate to tame the Czech Republic's sprawling budget gap, which could exceed 7 per cent of gross domestic product in 2010.
Prime Minister Jan Fischer's technocrat caretaker cabinet lacks power to fix the public finances, which have been shattered by the economic crisis.
Party legal experts and leaders are set to continue talks on Monday.
