Czech centre-right coalition head tasked with forming govt – Macau Business

Czech President Milos Zeman on Tuesday handed the task of forming a new government to Petr Fiala, head of the centre-right Together alliance.

On the basis of the results of the parliamentary elections, I am instructing you to conduct negotiations with the representatives of the political parties represented in the Chamber of Deputies with a view to forming a government, a presidential spokesman quoted Zeman as saying.

Zeman has been in hospital with liver problems since October 10, the day after the vote.

Previously Zeman had seemed to favour giving the job of forming a government to billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, his ally, whose populist ANO movement came narrowly second.

Together, comprising three centrist and right-wing parties, has formed a coalition with another centrist two-party alliance for a majority of 108 votes in the 200-seat lower house of parliament.

The five parties formally signed a coalition agreement on Monday as the new parliament held its first session.

Over the next few days I will continue negotiations with the coalition partners on the final shape of the government, Fiala, a political scientist by training, announced on Twitter on Tuesday.

Fiala is a fervent supporter of the EU, but heads a party with Eurosceptic tendencies.

The Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.7 million people, is currently grappling with fast growth in Covid infections, as well as a steep rise in energy prices.

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Czech centre-right coalition head tasked with forming govt - Macau Business