Prague - The Czech parliament's lower house Wednesday passed a bill that enables Czechs to go to the polls by mid-October.

The house voted 172-9 to dissolve itself on the day of the early elections due to take place before October 15, in a vote that required the majority of 120 lawmakers.

Eight lawmakers abstained and 11 were not present. The bill also requires approval by parliament's upper house.

The October polls come as a consequence of the collapse of the Czech Republic's government in late March, midway through the country's presidency of the European Union.

After the cabinet's fall, the then senior governing Civic Democrats, their junior partners, the Greens, and the rival Social Democrats agreed to form a caretaker technocrat cabinet and hold early elections in the autumn.

The regular polls were originally scheduled for mid-2010.(dpa)