What's new in the Czech Republic, or "Frontier Land" as it is dubbed in the MF DNES headline? Early general elections slated for 9 and 10 October, which were a source of tension between parliament and the country's constitutional court, have suddenly been cancelled. The perpetrator of this latest escalation in the political crisis, which was triggered by the overthrow of the government in the middle of the Czech presidency of the EU in April, is Jiří Paroubek. On 15 September, the leader of the social-democrat opposition blocked the adoption of a law to authorise the dissolution of parliament — an initiative that MF DNES describes as a "political backflip." Until now, Paroubek was adamant that an early general election was "in the country's best interest." In protest against the manoeuvre, former prime minister Mirek Topolánek has resigned from his position as member of parliament. "It is time for this country to move on from the likes of Paroubek and Topolánek," remarks DNES, which further adds that Czech voters will probably not go to the polls until June 2010.
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