President Petr Pavel has officially tasked Andrej Babiš with forming a new government. Further talks on a possible coalition between ANO, SPD and Motoristé sobě are scheduled to follow on Wednesday. The goal is to establish the Cabinet by mid-December at the latest.
The Czech President Petr Pavel officially charged Andrej Babiš with forming a new government on Monday. This was announced by the Presidential Chancellery following the meeting at Prague Castle. As Babiš subsequently explained, Pavel is to receive the completed government programme as soon as it is finalised. The former Prime Minister hopes the new Cabinet will be in place by mid-December at the latest.
“I am pleased that the President has tasked me with forming a government today. The next step is the finalisation of the coalition agreement and the government programme. Once these documents are complete, we will address the personnel composition of the government. I am confident that we will achieve our goal and the government will be formed by mid-December at the latest,” Babiš wrote on Monday afternoon on the platform X.
According to the Presidential Chancellery, Babiš promised to present the President with the text of the coalition agreement as well as the substantive priorities of a possible future government in the second half of the week. He has not yet presented the Cabinet composition in detail, but mentioned some names currently being negotiated among the involved parties, according to a statement from the President’s office.
Pavel made it clear that he expects a government that respects the fundamental principles of the democratic rule of law as enshrined in the Constitution.
After the meeting, Babiš stated that talks between ANO, the SPD, and Motoristé sobě would continue in order to finalise the coalition agreement and government programme. Only afterwards does he intend to submit concrete personnel proposals to the President.
During the discussion, Babiš also informed the President about the foreign policy priorities of the future Cabinet. According to him, Pavel expressed satisfaction with these points. Further talks on a possible coalition are scheduled for Wednesday. Some substantive differences between the parties remain, however – “two or three points still need to be clarified,” said the former Prime Minister.
Andrej Babiš emerged in early October as the clear winner of the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic with his ANO movement, but fell short of an absolute majority and needs partners to govern. A simple majority requires at least 101 mandates. A constitutional majority requires 120 votes (i.e., three-fifths of MPs). In total, six parties enter the Chamber of Deputies.
