In the Czech Republic, the opposition has initiated a vote of no confidence in the Babiš government

Czech opposition parties are demanding a vote of no confidence in Andrej Babiš’s government over the proposed state budget for next year. They have initiated the relevant procedure in parliament.

 

The opposition parties have collected signatures from all their lawmakers to demand the convening of an extraordinary session of the lower house of parliament.

However, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s coalition has enough seats in parliament to prevent his resignation. Babiš’s three-party alliance controls 108 seats in the 200-member chamber.

This week, Babiš’s cabinet reduced the planned deficit to 386 billion crowns ($18 billion) from the previously proposed 389 billion crowns.

The government justifies the larger budget deficit by arguing that it is necessary for investment and economic growth, as well as to increase spending on infrastructure, healthcare, and defense.

Babiš has repeatedly asserted that the Czech Republic can afford to relax its traditional budget discipline, as its relatively low debt level provides room for increased spending.

Parliament Speaker Tomio Okamura is required to convene a session as soon as possible, so a debate is expected next week.

Source: Bloomberg

Earlier, Babiš proposed creating a European missile defense system called “Euro Patriot” based on Israel’s experience.

The European Commission is tightening oversight of subsidies in the Czech Republic due to possible ties to Babiš’s companies.

Prior to this, Zelenskyy met with Czech Prime Minister Babiš for the first time.