Czech prime minister suffers defeat in regional elections

The main opposition Social Democratic Party has made huge gains in regional elections in the Czech Republic, possibly threatening plans to host part of a US missile shield in the country.

With almost all the votes counted, the left-wing Social Democrats had won all the 13 regions contested, the Czech Statistics Office said, handing prime minister Mirek Topolanek his first defeat since he took over as chairman of his conservative Civic Democratic Party in 2002.

“It’s a grandiose victory,” Social Democratic chairman and former Premier Jiri Paroubek said.

The landslide is a boost for the Social Democrats ahead of a parliamentary no-confidence vote Mr Topolanek’s three-party coalition government faces on Wednesday.