Čunek was asked to resign from both his Cabinet and ministerial posts in November, when an earlier investigation was re-opened into charges that he had taken bribes during his time as the mayor of the town of Vsetín.

The KDU-ČSL party previously agreed to work in coalition with the Civic Democrats.

But Sunday, the party passed a resolution rejecting the idea of selling the country’s public health insurance companies – a key point in Health Minister Tomáš Julínek's healthcare reform package.

Instead, the KDU-ČSL is calling for the insurers to remain under state control. Julinek wants them to become privatized in a five-year process.

KDU-ČSL also wants a guarantee that the insurers will not be privatized.

According to Čunek, the resolution does not go against an agreement made by coalition politicians, because it says nothing about selling the medical insurers. Čunek also said KDU-ČSL is against privatizing regional hospitals.

In a later visit to the KDU-ČSL party congress, Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek criticized party leaders for violating the coalition agreement, in which it had agreed to support healthcare reforms.

"If you don't intend to support the coalition, then leave," he told the assembled members.