Prague, Jan 27 (CTK) – The Czech opposition Civic Democrats (ODS) failed yesterday to push through their proposal that the Chamber of Deputies deal with President Milos Zeman’s statement about the use of a weapon in connection with Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD).
The proposal was only supported by 75 out of 168 lawmakers present, including some representatives of the CSSD and two other government parties, ANO and the Christians Democrats (KDU-CSL).
Fifty-nine lawmakers, mainly Communists (KSCM), were against it.
Most politicians denounced on Tuesday already Zeman’s statement on Monday that the use of a Kalashnikov assault rifle would be a possible non-democratic way of getting rid of the prime minister.
The proposal to include the proposal in the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies was made by Miroslava Nemcova (ODS) who said Zeman breached his promise to act in the interest of all people.
Referring to the article of the constitution about the shared powers of the president and the prime minister, Nemcova said the operation of the country and the principle of a parliamentary republic is threatened without their cooperation.
Nemcova presented a draft resolution according to which the Chamber of Deputies should sharply reject Zeman’s statements about Sobotka and say they are pointed against the democratic order. It should ask Zeman to apologise to Sobotka.
Nemcova’s proposal was supported in the debate by the opposition conservative TOP 09.
TOP 09 chairman Miroslav Kalousek said Zeman “evidently does not check himself” by which he arouses considerations about whether he is of sound mind, which is a serious situation from the constitutional point of view.
Zeman drew attention with his reply to a question a student asked him at a meeting with the public in Tisnov, south Moravia, on Monday. She wanted to know how to achieve the dismissal of the prime minister.
“If you want to get rid of any politician, there is the only democratic way, which is a democratic election…Then there is an undemocratic way and its name is Kalashnikov,” Zeman said.
Sobotka dismissed the words as silly.
