Czech opposition seeks no-confidence vote against Babiš cabinet

The Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament continued its extraordinary session on Tuesday concerning a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Babiš’s government. The session was called by the opposition — the ODS, STAN, Piráti, TOP 09 and the Christian Democrats, which together hold 92 votes out of 200 in the lower house.

Reasons for the no-confidence vote

The formal trigger was a state budget deficit of 386 billion crowns. The opposition also points to Prime Minister Babiš’s allegedly ongoing conflict of interest, doubts about the independence of the judiciary, and attacks on the media.

Ministers speak, Babiš campaigns

Most of Tuesday’s session was taken up by ministers’ speeches: they talked about their own achievements and plans while criticizing the previous cabinet. Prime Minister Babiš turned his own speech into a campaign rally and used it for one of his characteristically long addresses.

“Thank you for the chance to speak here and essentially hold a great campaign rally. I hope all the citizens watching us were listening closely. And of course, we will serve it all up to you on video,” Babiš said.

What happens next

More than fifty more deputies still want to speak at the session, so it is unclear how long the debate will last. For the government to lose parliament’s confidence, 101 votes out of 200 are needed.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz