PM denies alleged plans to weaken Parliament in times of crisis

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has sharply rejected claims that the cabinet intended to pave the way for legal changes that would weaken the role of Parliament in times of crisis and put more powers in the hands of the government.

The weekly Respekt and the news site Aktualne.cz wrote on Monday that the Defence Ministry is preparing a draft legislation to that effect to be debated by the government in the coming days. According to Defence Minister Lubomir Metnar the government was only to receive suggestions from a group of experts regarding the possibilities of resolving crisis situations. He said the document had been commissioned as a set of guidelines for crisis situations when the government or Parliament were not action capable.

The prime minister reassured politicians and the public that no such document would be discussed saying that the ministry should have known better than to come forward with such an initiative at the present time.