Rvacov, East Bohemia, Sept 15 (CTK) – Successful entrepreneurs should not be prevented from entering politics and pursuing a political career, Czech President Milos Zeman said at a meeting with locals in the Pardubice Region yesterday in relation to a new amendment to the law on the conflict of interests.
“We should not keep these people from entering politics, we should not stop them from remaining in politics, and we should not pass laws that are aimed against a single person because a truly good law must be general,” Zeman said.
Zeman said he himself is in a situation similar to Babis as the Chamber of Deputies will be dealing with a bill on the limiting of the presidential powers that is a reaction to his presidential mandate.
This bill concerns the presidential powers in foreign policy and naming the banking board of the central bank.
On Wednesday, the Chamber of Deputies passed an amendment toughening the law on the conflict of interests. The amendment includes some restrictions of businesses for cabinet members that are evidently aimed at Finance Minister and billionaire Andrej Babis (ANO).
To take effect, the amendment is yet to be passed by the Senate and signed by President Zeman.
Zeman’s statement indicates that he might not sign the bill. However, the Chamber of Deputies may override the presidential veto.
Zeman said yesterday he would announce his position on the bill only after the Senate deals with it.
Nearly all lower house deputies supported the amendment, except for ANO members.
The bill preserves the possibility for members of a government to control business companies, but such companies would not have access to public procurement or non-mandatory state subsidies. It also bans future members of governments from running television and radio broadcasts and issuing periodical press.
Babis is the second richest Czech. He owns the giant food and chemical Agrofert Holding including a publishing house issuing the Mlada fronta Dnes (MfD) and Lidove noviny (LN) national daily papers, the Impuls radio station and the Ocko TV channel.
Babis refused being labelled an oligarch. He said he behaves in a transparent way. Babis said he would consult his lawyers and decide what to do next.
Zeman said yesterday late Czech shoe-maker Tomas Bata was a successful businessman who was active in politics. He said Bata was the mayor of the town of Zlin for a long time and he improved life in the town very much.
Zeman praised Babis for a state budget with a surplus and he indirectly compared him to first Czechoslovak finance minister Alois Rasin whose policy contributed to the country’s economic development in the late 1920s.
The toughening of the rules of the conflict of interests caused a clash between the ANO movement and its government partner and main rival, the Social Democrats (CSSD).
Zeman is a former CSSD leader and prime minister, but he later left the party and he is critical of its current leadership. His relations to CSSD chairman and Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka are considered very reserved, while he seems to be on rather good terms with Babis.
