Archive: Domestic affairs | Political parties

The youngest Czech deputy in the Czech lower house Dominik Feri (22) from TOP 09 has appeared on Politico’s list of 28 people who are shaping, shaking and stirring Europe.

The people listed are divided into three categories :doers, dreamers and disruptors. Dominik Feri appears eighth on the list of dreamers.

Dominik Feri, who was on the local council of his home town Teplice at the age of 18,won a seat in the lower house in last year’s parliamentary elections. He is the youngest ever MP in the country’s history.

Marian Jurečka has announced his intention to run for the post of chairman of the Christian Democrats at a congress in March. The former minister of agriculture informed his party’s members that he would stand in an email, Aktuálně.cz reported.

Mr. Jurečka, who is the Christian Democrats’ first deputy leader, hopes to replace current chairman Pavel Bělobrádek, who had previously said he would not seek re-election. Jan Bartošek and Marek Výborný are also challenging for the leadership of the opposition grouping.

The chairman of the opposition Civic Democrats, Petr Fiala, says Prime Minister Andrej Babiš has so many personal and family problems that he is unable to concentrate on serving the country. He told Saturday’s edition of newspaper Právo that recent events mean that the Czech Republic has moved a step closer to early elections.

The Civic Democrats were one of a number of opposition parties that tabled a no-confidence vote in the ANO-led government after Mr. Babiš’s son sparked a scandal by saying he had been taken to Crimea to “disappear” during an investigation involving the PM and alleged corruption.

Mr. Fiala told Právo the defeat of the no-confidence vote had not been a foregone conclusion. He said the junior party in the coalition, the Social Democrats, had displayed cowardice by not taking part in the show of hands.

The Social Democrats have also pledged to work to dissolve the lower house in certain circumstances and this is reason to believe the current government cannot last much longer, Mr. Fiala said.

Government leaders ANO would have won elections in November with 29.5 percent of the vote, virtually the same as they achieved in the last general elections, suggests a freshly released CVVM poll. Most respondents answered the survey prior to November 12, when a scandal surrounding ANO leader Andrej Babiš’s son broke.

The Civic Democrats placed second in the poll on 14.5 percent, just ahead of the Czech Pirate Party on 14.0 percent. Some 10.0 percent of those surveyed would have cast their ballots for the Communists, with 9.0 percent backing the Social Democrats, the junior party in the governing coalition. Freedom and Direct Democracy would achieve 7.5 percent, the poll indicated.

After more than a week of political uncertainty regarding the fate of the Czech government, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats, announced they would allow the government to survive a motion of no-confidence on Friday by abstaining from the vote. The decision was attacked by the opposition parties as “cowardly” and “self-serving”.

Social Democrat MPs will not be present for Friday’s scheduled no-confidence vote in the government led by ANO party chairman Andrej Babiš, the ČTK news agency reports.

In total only 92 MPs have said they will not back the government while 101 votes are needed for the move to pass, so a walk-out by the Social Democrats is a symbolic move that will not change the outcome.

Social Democrats chairman Jan Hamáček has favours remaining in the coalition government with ANO but has suggested that Mr. Babiš could go as prime minister, a move supported by the Prague branch of the Social Democrats.

Mr Babiš has been embroiled in scandal since his son said he had wanted him to “disappear” during an ongoing criminal investigation into the prime minister’s alleged illegal use of EU subsidies that went to the Stork’s Next complex near Prague.

Junior coalition partners the Social Democrats are to decide on Wednesday whether to support the ANO-led government of Andrej Babiš in a no-confidence vote at the end of the week. Social Democrats’ chairman Jan Hamáček is in favour of remaining in government with ANO but has suggested Mr. Babiš could go as prime minister; he has been embroiled in scandal since his son said Mr. Babiš had wanted him to “disappear” during a criminal investigation.

The Prague branch of the Social Democrats on Tuesday called on the national party to push for the prime minister’s removal.

ANO’s leadership has given its backing to Mr. Babiš ahead of the opposition-tabled no-confidence vote. The Communists say they will continue to support the minority cabinet on key votes.

The leaders of five opposition parties that have tabled a vote of no-confidence in Andrej Babiš’s government have appealed to Social Democrats’ chairman Jan Hamáček to rethink his party’s membership in the ANO-led coalition.

The leaders of five opposition parties that have tabled a vote of no-confidence in Andrej Babiš’s government have appealed to Social Democrats’ chairman Jan Hamáček to rethink his party’s membership in the ANO-led coalition.

The heads of the Civic Democrats, the Pirates, the Christian Democrats, the Mayors and Independents and TOP 09 made the call on Tuesday. Tomio Okamura of Freedom and Direct Democracy also backs a no-confidence vote tabled after a scandal sparked by statements from Mr. Babiš’s son.

The opposition leaders called on the prime minister to explain the circumstances surrounding a trip made by his son to Russia-occupied Ukrainian territory, which Pirates’ boss Ivan Bartoš described as a potential security risk.

The opposition also want President Miloš Zeman to drop his stated intention of asking Mr. Babiš to form a new government if his current one loses Friday’s no-confidence vote.

Andrej Babiš Jr. says he was taken to Crimea against his will at a time when his father was being investigated for wrongly acquiring EU grants.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš faces a test this week, with his government set to face a no-confidence vote on Friday. The vote follows a scandal involving Mr. Babiš’s son, who says he was forcibly taken to Crimea. The PM attempted to smooth over the scandal by visiting his son in Switzerland at the weekend – but the whole affair may not die away any time soon.

An intense week in Czech politics has got underway ahead of a vote of no-confidence in Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government planned for Friday. The opposition-tabled vote follows a scandal involving Mr. Babiš’s son, who says he was forcibly taken to Crimea to get him out of the way of an investigation over charges of corruption against the prime minister.

Mr. Babiš is due to discuss the situation during talks with President Miloš Zeman on Monday evening. The head of state says he expects the ANO leader to survive the no-confidence vote. However, if he does not Mr. Zeman will task him with forming a new government.

The opposition have 92 seats in the 200-mandate lower house, meaning their vote can only succeed if they win support from coalition partners ANO or the Social Democrats. Leaders of the parties advocating the show of hands are due to meet on Tuesday.

The Social Democrats are due to discuss how to proceed at a meeting on Wednesday. The party’s leader, Jan Hamáček, has already said he wants the present coalition to continue.

The Communists, who back the minority coalition on key votes, are also expected to discuss what course to take.