Czech polls

Originally, elections were scheduled to take place in mid-2010. But major political parties agreed to cut the parliament's four-year term after the centre-right government of former Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek collapsed in March.

By presidential decree, early elections were set for October 9-10.

An outgoing independent member of parliament, Milos Melcak, questions the legitimacy of the shortening of parliament's term and he has taken his complaint to the Czech Republic's constitutional court. The court on Tuesday announced that is had suspended the decree calling for the early elections in order to consider the complaint.

President Vaclav Klaus said the ruling had led to a political and constitutional crisis which he would try to resolve as soon as possible.

"I am deeply concerned by today's constitutional court decision, which in fact means the postponement of the lower house election indefinitely," President Klaus said in a statement.

The court has not said when it would rule on the complaint, but such cases usually takes months. No date for new elections has been announced.

Since early May, the Czech Republic has been governed by an interim cabinet under Prime Minister Jan Fischer. The delay will effectively extend the rule of the non-partisan interim cabinet.

The business community had been keen to hold the elections early, hoping that this would lead to swift action on the country's spiralling public deficit, which politicians have said could lead to an economic meltdown such as the one seen in Hungary.

wl/dpa/Reuters

Editor: Chuck Penfold