Speech of Prime Minister of the CR, Mirek Topolánek before the vote of confidence in the Chamber of Deputies on 3rd October 2006

Dear deputies,

I am here to persuade you that the government I introduced to you one month ago deserves your confidence. I am not going to read the government declaration in detail, as you have it at your disposal since Friday. I will proceed to the most important issue: what should lead you to your willingness to support this government.

1. Why has the government been formed

First of all I will repeat why the government has been formed.

In the very complicated after-election situation, this government has the only one principal objective: to reach early elections, to reach them without any turbulences, without volatility, without needless prolongation of interregnum, without jeopardizing our interests in the EU, in the world and last but not least without drop of confidence of our citizens in the political system.

This government has set a mandate at the length of 9 months at a maximum until the early elections and the government declaration reflects the shortened election period, of course.

Nevertheless, the government is normal government, which has ambitions to reach solutions of some urgent problems and concurrently to start process of necessary systematic changes, which will be important for each of further governments.

Although our government is a minority one, my ambition was to form a government with the majority programme. We projected to maximal extent political targets of all parliamentary parties in our government declaration.

Way to those targets leads in the government declaration across priorities of the ODS. But it means that the entire political scene, if we do not take into consideration ideological disputes, perceive problems of this country and its citizens similarly. Only tools for their solution that are chosen are different and it is natural that each government choose such ways for reaching political targets that are close to it, that are tried–and-true and that work well. Thus, we can differ in means, but not in targets.

2. Government's priorities

We want to avert repetition of the pre-election stalemate and therefore we will propose decrease of number of deputies to 199.

We also want to start public, professional and parliamentary debate on possible amendment of the Act on Election, which would be aimed at fair representation of small parties in the Chamber of Deputies and concurrently to guarantee to the winner possibility to form a stabile government with full responsibility.

We will start works aimed at recovery of state finances, we will publish true and realistic data on the state economy and we will cooperate with all democratic parties and professionals to solve the problem of deficit and increasing indebtedness of the country.

We will continue in our integration in supranational structures of the North Atlantic Alliance and the European Union, which we regard as guarantors of security and prosperity of Czech citizens. We will put great impact on effective use of European funds, Czech presidency of the EU and on the struggle against terrorism.

We will consistently fight against corruption at all levels of the state administration and self-government. We will prepare conditions for due and fast investigations conclusion of all the recent affairs and we will form social environment that would show zero tolerance of corruption. We will respect existing agreement of political parties on necessity and basic principles of the pension reform. We will transfer these proposals into legislative form with the aim to ensure stability of the pension system and preservation of inter-generational solidarity.

We will start to work without delay on removal of useless bureaucracy and on making our state administration more effective and thus ensure high-quality and accessible services for our citizens. We want the state to be friendly, to serve to our citizens and not to infringe them.

3. Why to vote for confidence

These were programme priorities of this government, the government that would gain confidence if our citizens decided, I am sure about it. Why should you vote for the confidence in the government, you, deputies of different parties? Let me omit deputies of the ODS that I need not persuade, I hope.

Why should vote for this government you, deputies of the ČSSD? I am of the opinion that it is the most honest way for you how to overcome not very easy after-election situation without betrayal of voters and without loss of credit. From the objective, understandable and good reasons, which are in particular our programme obligations regarding voters, the ODS and the ČSSD failed in making agreement on such arrangement that would provide this country with stabile government throughout the entire election period. Concurrently it is clear that neither the ODS nor the ČSSD have a chance to form a majority government. Therefore I think that the best solution is a minority government with shortened mandate, the activities of which would be limited to necessary steps that would have to solve any government or to solve before early elections problems on which agreements of greatest political parties would be concluded.

And what may be effects of the vote for the KSČM? I do not want to conceal that we have absolutely different opinions on range of issues. Nevertheless, I respect the fact that the KSČM is becoming standard part of our political scene for range of people. And now it is up to you, not up to me, to present the KSČM as a constructive party, which, independently on principal ideological differences, realize that the only one way out from the existing political crisis are early elections.

I can say to you ladies and gentlemen from the KDU-ČSL using a hyperbole that if the programme of the government is a compromise of the left and the right, then it is drawing closer to Christian-democratic priorities. But I add immediately and seriously that we have been trying fairly to comprise in the government declaration principals agreed in the framework of the tri-coalition agreement.

And as to you, deputies of the Green Party, range of your priorities is comprised in the Government Declaration and I personally confirm them. As well as the promise that the ODS will not conclude a "great coalition" with the ČSSD and it will not uphold the change of the election system, which would be against interest of small parties.

4. Why not to vote for confidence

If my speech has not persuaded you to vote for the confidence in the government, then I want to call on all the members of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, not to support this cabinet because of your conscience, because your opinion is different that my opinion.

Therefore I call on you:

DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to fight against corruption
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to improve quality of life of our citizens
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to start system changes
DO NOT VOTE DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to quickly solve deficit of public finances and the debt flood
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to make performance of the state administration more effective and to release our citizens from needless bureaucracy
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to prepare ourselves to our presidency in the European Union
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to quickly improve usage of money from the European funds
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that it is not necessary to fight against terrorism and to improve security of our citizens
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that the only one way out of the crisis is misalliance of the ODS and the ČSSD, establishment of great coalition and liquidation of small parties
DO NOT VOTE for the government if you think that patience of citizens is endless and if you are sure that people must forgive you for doing other obstructions

Deer deputies,

I do not feel that it is necessary to speak longer, as in compliance with Seneca I say: It is not true that we have little time; it is true that we waste much of time.