PRAGUE (AP) — The lower house of Parliament has approved a government plan to pay billions of dollars in compensation for property seized by the former totalitarian Communist regime.

Under the plan approved in a 93-89 vote, the country's 17 churches, including Roman Catholic and Protestant, would get 56 percent of their former property now held by the state — estimated at 75 billion koruna ($3.6 billion).

They would also get 59 billion koruna ($2.8 billion) in financial compensation paid to them over the next 30 years.

The parliamentary restitution battle is still set to continue after Friday's late vote.

Parliament's upper house controlled by the left-wing opposition, which strictly opposes the plan, is expected to veto it but the right-wing coalition has enough votes in the lower house to override it.