Prague, April 10 (CTK) – The deputies for Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis’s ANO still consider him the movement’s only candidate for the post of prime minister, head of the ANO deputy group Jaroslav Faltynek told journalists on Tuesday.
This evening, Babis will meet President Milos Zeman to discuss further steps after the talks on a new government between ANO and the Social Democrats foundered last week.
Fatynek said the support for Babis was unambiguous and undisputable among ANO deputies.
“ANO has only one candidate, Andrej Babis, for the post of prime minister,” Faltynek said.
The person of Babis himself caused the collapse of the talks. The Social Democrats argue that he cannot be the prime minister as he is criminally prosecuted over an EU subsidy fraud.
Later on Tuesday, ANO lawmakers held an internal vote, initiated by Faltynek, on whether they wish ANO to resume government-forming negotiations with the CSSD.
“A majority of ANO lawmakers said they do not want to negotiate with the CSSD any more,” Faltynek told Czech Television (CT).
According to CT, the idea of continuing ANO-CSSD talks was supported by 24 of the 68 ANO MPs present, while 44 voted against it.
The Social Democrats, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) have said they are ready to form a government along with ANO if Babis is not nominated as the prime minister. Taken together, the three parties have 109 seats in the 200-member Chamber of Deputies.
After the October general election, won by ANO, Zeman empowered Babis to form a government. Babis created a one-colour minority government, but it did not gain confidence in the Chamber of Deputies.
Zeman then assigned Babis to conduct talks on a new government until the summer.
