Prague, Aug 31 (CTK) – The Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) will support the bill limiting the business activities of Czech cabinet members, but this is not a reason to end the government coalition, ANO deputy chairman Jaroslav Faltynek told journalists yesterday.
Faltynek said ANO opposes this amendment to the law on the conflict of interests because it is clearly aimed against ANO leader Andrej Babis, who is finance minister and owner of the Agrofert chemical, food-processing and agriculture holding.
“The so-called Lex Babis would limit entry into politics for people who own something, who achieved something in life,” Faltynek said during a meeting of the leaders of the CSSD, ANO and the KDU-CSL.
“As the economy is prospering and taxes are being collected, I believe that we will successfully rule together until the end of this election period (in late 2017),” he said.
According to the draft amendment, cabinet ministers who would have at least 40 percent of the vote in a firm would have to give up their posts in the firm. If they do not do so, the ministers will lose their voting rights and their firms will not get any state subsidy.
The bill would also ban cabinet ministers from owning television and radio stations and newspapers.
Babis owns the daily papers Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD), Lidove noviny (LN), Impuls radio station and Ocko TV station, among others.
The Chamber of Deputies is likely to deal with the amendment in September.
