Prague, Sept. 24, (dpa/GNA) – The liberal-conservative government in the Czech Republic has been plunged into crisis following the opposition’s victory in regional elections.
In the vote that ended on Saturday, the right-wing populist ANO of former prime minister and billionaire Andrej Babis was the strongest party in 10 of the 13 regions. The vote was seen as an important test of public opinion ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on Tuesday that he would ask the president to dismiss Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartos, officially citing problems with the digitalization of building permits.
But the move came amid calls from government supporters for Bartos’ Czech Pirate Party to be dropped from the five-party coalition government. Bartos announced his intention to resign as leader of the smallest coalition partner following the election debacle.
If Fiala’s move is a precursor to ditching the Pirate Party, the coalition would also lose Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky and Legislative Affairs Minister Michal Salomoun.
Even without the junior partner, Fiala’s Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the conservative TOP09, the liberal STAN and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) would still have a majority of 104 of the 200 seats in the Chamber of Deputies.
But government rebels could then thwart legislation more easily and play into the hands of Babis, who lost his office to Fiala in the 2021 national elections.