Prague, Feb 12 (CTK) – A possible Czech government of all democratic parties united against the ANO movement of Andrej Babis would not work because it could hardly agree on a reasonable programme, Social Democrat (CSSD) leader and PM Bohuslav Sobotka told the Prima television channel on Sunday.
“I cannot imagine that a government that would be politically heterogeneous and based only on a negative stance on Andrej Babis could work well,” he said.
Sobotka said the CSSD can hardly agree on a reasonable programme with the right-wing parties, the Civic Democrats (ODS) and TOP 09.
He said ANO might form a government with the right-wing parties after the autumn general election. He said ANO and the ODS cooperated in the Central Bohemian Region.
Sobotka said the Social Democrats can win the election. He criticised the CSSD politicians who talked about what the party should do if it ends second in the October election, labelling such discussions self-destructive.
“I would like to debate the variant: we win the election and form the government,” he said.
Opinion polls indicated that ANO has been the clearly most popular party in the country for many months, followed by the CSSD.
Sobotka said the CSSD election conference due next month will not deal with the 2018 presidential election.
The Social Democrats may not field their own presidential candidate, he said. The CSSD members would hold a referendum on which of the other candidates the party would support, he added.
President Milos Zeman, 72, will announce in March whether he will be defending his post next year. He is likely to do so. Zeman, a former CSSD leader, has very cold relations with Sobotka, but he is popular among CSSD voters.
All CSSD regional branches except one supported Sobotka for chairman. Zeman, who has different favourites in the CSSD, has Sobotka’s re-election need not be smooth.
