The President has instructed Andrej Babiš to negotiate the formation of a government. The coalition of ANO, SPD and Motorists is approaching its final stage

PRAGUE - President Petr Pavel has tasked ANO chair Andrej Babiš with negotiating the formation of a new government. He took this step after a series of consultations with representatives of parliamentary parties and on the basis of the results of the October elections to the Chamber of Deputies. According to information published by the Castle, during his meeting with Babiš the President was mainly interested in the foreign policy and security chapters of the forthcoming programme declaration. The President stressed that he expected a cabinet to be formed that would respect the democratic principles enshrined in the Constitution of the Czech Republic.

Andrej Babiš briefed the President on the state of negotiations on the coalition agreement and the draft programme priorities of the future government. According to the daily Hospodářské noviny, Babiš said that the text of the coalition agreement and the programme statement should be finalised in the second half of the week. He has not yet presented the personnel composition of the cabinet, but according to Seznam Zprav's sources, he mentioned several names that are being discussed among the political partners.

Negotiations for a new government are being held between the ANO movement, which won the elections, the SPD and the Motorists for Ourselves party. As Forum24 has pointed out, this is a trio that has already hinted at programmatic intersections during the campaign, especially on issues of tax policy, energy and limiting European regulation. According to Seznam Zprav, negotiators from all three parties agreed on the renewal of electronic sales registration and on tax cuts for small businesses. On the other hand, the parties remain divided on foreign policy, the relationship with the European Union and the Czech Republic's defence commitments. During his meeting with Babiš, President Pavel was interested in these passages and pointed out that he expected the country to maintain its pro-Western orientation.

Vice-President of ANO Radek Vondracek admitted in an interview with iRozhlas that the biggest complication in the drafting of the coalition agreement is the economic chapters and budget policy. The SPD, he said, is pushing for greater fiscal expansion, while the Self-Determination Party is demanding major cuts in subsidies and a reduction in bureaucracy. Nevertheless, Vondráček said that the negotiations are taking place in a constructive atmosphere and the aim is to present a finished draft by the end of the week.

President Pavel reiterated in his statement that he is ready to meet with all the nominees for ministerial posts and discuss their priorities and positions in detail. According to Respekt, he indicated that he will proceed in a similar manner as he did in the appointment of the previous government, i.e., that he will assess the individual candidates not only in terms of their expertise, but also in terms of their integrity and compliance with constitutional principles.

Babiš said on the X network this afternoon that he believes a new government will be formed by mid-December at the latest. Political analysts say this deadline is ambitious because negotiations on programmatic issues and personnel may take longer than Babiš expects, according to Aktuálně.cz. Nevertheless, it is expected that the draft coalition agreement and the basic division of ministries could be known by the end of November.

Entrusting Andrej Babiš with the task of negotiating the formation of a government represents the formal start of a process that could fundamentally change the political map of the country. After several years of five-coalition rule, the strongest opposition force of the last decade could return to the Straka Academy, this time with the support of entities that have stood outside the mainstream of politics in the past.

President Pavel will closely monitor the entire process and expects the new government to be able to ensure stability and respect the Czech Republic's international commitments. If the coalition negotiations can be concluded on schedule, the new government could be appointed around mid-December.

gnews.cz - GH