Prague - Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's government survived a parliamentary confidence motion Wednesday, just as the Czech Republic prepares to take over the EU presidency in January.

The left-leaning opposition was five votes short in the 96-97 vote, the fourth failed effort to topple the ruling coalition since it came to power in January 2007.

The main opposition Social Democrats needed 101 votes in the 200-seat lower house to oust Topolanek's center-right cabinet.

"We should not expose ourselves to a risk that someone will want to remove the (EU) presidency from the Czech Republic," Topolanek said after the vote.

"I am offering you cooperation... on the Czech presidency," he appealed to the opposition.

At a time when Topolanek's Civic Democrats were weakened by a defeat in regional elections Saturday, the opposition hoped in vain for support from rebellious coalition lawmakers and independents who have backed Topolanek in the past.

Political tension in the Central European nation is running high over the government's 2009 budget and before Senate run-off elections starting Friday that could bring more losses for the premier.

Analysts expected the cabinet to survive the motion but said it will remain weak. "It will be so weakened that it will be a walking corpse," said political scientist Jiri Pehe, the head of Prague's branch of New York University.

Before the Wednesday vote opposition lawmakers and cabinet ministers clashed in parliament over issues including the government's response to the global financial crisis and foreign policy.

Social Democratic leader Jiri Paroubek slammed the government for agreeing to host a US missile-shield radar on Czech soil and its eurosceptic policies.

"(The government) takes the Czech Republic into international isolation in Europe, which raises valid doubts about its abilities to lead the country during the EU presidency," he said.

Topolanek, one of eastern Europe's leading US allies and EU critics, countered that he had "the only cabinet that could guarantee that our presidency of the European Union will not end in disgrace."

The Czech Republic, the richest country from the former Soviet bloc, is scheduled to take over the EU's six-month presidency on January 1.

The government's tight majority in parliament's lower house was already impaired Tuesday.

Three rebellious coalition lawmakers, elected for Topolanek's party, then helped the opposition to stall the country's 2009 budget.

The voting resulted in an unprecedented stalemate as the lower house neither passed budget's spending limits and anticipated revenues nor asked the cabinet to rework them.

Amid high tensions on Wednesday, the lower house finally sent the government proposal to the next approval phase.

Regardless of the no-confidence vote's result, Topolanek's position as a leader of his party is shaky. Opponents within his party, led by Prague mayor Pavel Bem, may challenge him for the post at a party congress in December. (dpa)