Prague, March 27 (CTK) – The Czech Social Democrats (CSSD) want to push through their priorities, such as banking tax, with the aid of the Communists (KSCM) during the government talks with the ANO movement of PM Andrej Babis, CSSD chairman Jan Hamacek said in a press release on Tuesday.
Babis, whose ANO minority government resigned after it lost a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies in January, is negotiating about the formation of his second minority government with the Social Democrats, supported by the Communists.
The Communists have so far indicated that they would be willing to tolerate such a cabinet.
Hamacek submitted the list of the CSSD’s ten priorities, on which the CSSD and ANO teams differ, to KSCM chairman Vojtech Filip on Tuesday.
“These are the priorities on which there is an agreement in the CSSD and KSCM left-wing programmes, and consequently it is possible to jointly promote them during the talks about a new government with the ANO movement. Now we are waiting for the KSCM’s stance,” Hamacek said.
These priorities include the ban on privatisation of public services and companies with the state stake, the introduction of sick pay during the first three days of illness on the 60-percent pay level as of next year, while ANO proposes 30 percent only, and a guarantee that patients’ direct financial participation in health care will not be raised.
Moreover, the CSSD would like to introduce banking and inheritance taxes and shared jobs and demands “the declarations of a permanent solution to the economically problematic regions across the sectors.”
Hamacek will meet Babis tonight. Their meeting was originally scheduled for last Friday, but it was postponed until on Tuesday at the CSSD’s request. The Social Democrats wanted two meetings of the parties’ expert teams in particular sectors to be held first.
Along with taxes and social issues, ANO and the CSSD have different views on how many ministers the Social Democrats (CSSD) should have in their joint cabinet. The Social Democrats demand five seats, while ANO offers four.
Moreover, the CSSD’s resolution, approved by the party’s congress in February, calls on ANO not to nominate criminally prosecuted politics for the government, hinting at Babis being prosecuted on suspicion of an EU subsidy fraud. The CSSD says it considers this a serious obstacle.
