Prague, Feb 23 (CTK) – Czech President Milos Zeman accepted Industry and Trade Minister Jan Mladek’s (Social Democrats, CSSD) dismissal today, PM Bohuslav Sobotka (CSSD) said, adding that he will manage the ministry for the time being and will only propose a replacement after the CSSD’s congress in March.
Sobotka said he discussed potential candidates with Zeman, but they did not complete the debate.
Mladek is to leave the ministry as from the end of March.
Sobotka presupposes that his assignment to lead the ministry will only be temporary. He wants to focus on pushing through an amendment to the law on electronic communications over which he was in dispute with Mladek.
Sobotka wants the amendment to reinforce the rights of consumers, increase the powers of the Czech Telecommunication Office (CTU), open the mobile operators’ market and decrease the mobile data tariffs.
Sobotka would not announce the name of the future minister. He said he will talk to the candidates in the days ahead.
He will bring the name of the candidate to Zeman again after the CSSD’s election congress to be held on March 10-11.
Sobotka dismissed the speculation that the name of the new minister would be connected with the results of the election of the CSSD leadership at the congress. He said he needs time to talk to the candidates.
Sobotka decided to replace Mladek on Monday. He criticised Mladek’s steps in connection with mobile data prices that are among the higher in Europe.
However, Mladek claims that the issue is outside his power and believes that Sobotka only heeded the advice of his marketing advisers.
Three people have been speculated about as Mladek’s replacements. They are Tomas Prouza, state secretary for European affairs and government coordinator for digital affairs, Mladek’s deputy Jiri Havlicek and former industry minister Milan Urban (all CSSD).
The opposition criticises Sobotka’s decision to head the ministry himself.
“This again shows the prime minister’s weakness in relation to the president and at the same time, it exposes the condition of the CSSD,” Mayors and Independents (STAN) movement’s chairman Petr Gazdik told CTK.
Economists told CTK that Sobotka will not be able to push through a lowering of mobile data prices or a bigger consumer protection during his short spell at the ministry. The ministry needs an expert, which Sobotka is not, they added.
Mladek is the fourth CSSD minister to be replaced since Sobotka’s coalition government was appointed in January 2014.
In November, Miloslav Ludvik replaced Svatopluk Nemecek at the head of the Health Ministry and in December, Jan Chvojka became minister for human rights, succeeding Jiri Dienstbier. In 2015, education minister Marcel Chladek was replaced by Katerina Valachova.
The government is also comprised of the ANO movement and the junior Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL).
