Political Crisis in the Czech Republic: The Government Resigned

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis resigned after yesterday failed to get a vote of confidence from parliament, world agencies said. The government will carry out its duties until the president appoints a new cabinet. A spokesman for President Milos Zeman said he would accept the resignation of the government by the end of the week. Yesterday, in the vote of confidence in the Babis Cabinet, 195 were deputies out of a total of 200. 78 deputies, all of the Babis party, supported the new government. 117 deputies from the eight other parties represented in the lower house were announced against the cabinet. Babis, whose cabinet is made up of experts and his party's representatives, did not acquire just 23 votes. Those who voted against said they were doing it because of the accusations against him.

Babis, who is a tycoon in the chemical and food industry and holds important media, was accused a few months ago of embezzling European subsidies worth 50 million kronor ($ 2.4 million). The tycoon denies having guilt and claims that the accusations against him are a provocation by his political opponents. Earlier, President Zeman said he would hand over Babis's second term of office to government, but warned he would do so if he secured the support of at least 101 lawmakers in parliament. "The moment Babish comes and tells me he has at least 101 guaranteed votes in the lower house of parliament, I will appoint him for the second time as prime minister," Zeman warned. Babis intends to start talks with the leaders of the other parties in parliament today to secure support for a second government. According to the forecasts of the political scientists, Babis can win the support of the Communists and the Social Democrats, who have a total of 30 MPs in the lower house. But the Social Democrat leader has already said they will vote for the new government if the government is not headed by Babis, and if ANO representatives quit the justice, home affairs and finance ministries.

Meanwhile, Parliament will decide whether to lift Babis' immunity for the subsidy affair. This will happen on Friday, the World Agencies have reported. Babis demanded yesterday by MEPs to address this issue and said he was ready to give up his immunity to prove in court that he was innocent. The formation of a new government is compounded by the presidential election that Zeman failed to win in the first round late last week. The second tour will be at the end of the month. The mandate of Zeman ends on 8 March. In the first round, Zeman received 38.56 percent, and his main rival, pro-Western scientist Irji Drahosh, won 26.60 percent, the France press reported.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!