UPDATE 1-Slovak parliament head survives no-confidence vote

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Slovakia's ruling coalition united on Tuesday to reject an opposition motion to dismiss the parliament speaker, a vote which may calm tensions that have threatened to break up the government.

The centre-left coalition has been in turmoil since last week when leftist Prime Minister Robert Fico sacked Farm Minister Miroslav Jurena, a member of the centrist Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), a junior coalition partner, over controversial land deals.

HZDS agreed at the weekend to stay in the coalition but stopped short of pledging full loyalty to Fico. Fico raised the stakes by saying the coalition would fall if a no-confidence vote on the speaker, Pavol Paska, was passed.

A dissolution of the coalition would strip the government of its parliamentary majority and could lead to its fall at a time when Slovakia is trying to beef up diplomatic and policy efforts to join the euro currency zone in 2009.

But the opposition managed to get only 59 votes for Paska's dismissal, short of the 76 necessary in the 150-seat Slovak parliament, suggesting no government deputies broke ranks in the secret vote.

The crown currency has largely ignored the coalition spat, even though it was the deepest rift since the three-party pact was established after election last year.

It traded at 33.520 to the euro at 1135 GMT, flat from late Monday's levels. (Reporting by Martin Santa, writing by Jan Lopatka; editing by Elizabeth Piper)

Keywords: SLOVAKIA COALITION/VOTE

[BRATISLAVA/Reuters/Finance.cz]