Prague, Nov 10 (CTK) – Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) wants to reshuffle his government by early December and he will talk to individual ministers within two weeks and then to the leaders of both coalition parties, he said in the lower house of parliament yesterday.
“I would like these changes to be made by early December,” Sobotka said about his effort to make the cabinet more effective and dynamic.
He confirmed that the replacement of ministers will primarily concern his party.
Sobotka said he respects the coalition pact that gives each of the three parties the right to make its own decision on its ministers.
ANO leader Andrej Babis, finance minister, and Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) leader Pavel Belobradek, deputy prime minister for science, said previously that they do not intend to replace any of their ministers.
Sobotka repeatedly said he will present the planned personnel changes first to President Milos Zeman.
The prime minister officially proposes dismissals of ministers and appointments of new ones to the president.
Sobotka wants the government to keep working until the last minute, he said, referring to the general election scheduled for next autumn. He said only the bills that the cabinet will submit by the end of the year have a chance to be passed by parliament.
In reaction to the failure of his party in the recent regional and Senate elections, Sobotka said last week that some CSSD ministers are tired and need to be replaced.
“The changes in the government are essential as a signal that we care about the opinions of the voters,” he said later on.
It is speculated that Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek, Labour Minister Michaela Marksova and Human Rights Minister Jiri Dienstbier (all CSSD) will have to leave the cabinet. CSSD MPs Jan Chvojka and Roman Sklenak are often named among their replacements.
