ANO wants to discuss a vote of no confidence in the government. Photo Credit: psp.cz.
Prague, Aug 26 (CTK) – Deputy opposition leader Alena Schillerova (ANO) today submitted a proposal to convene a lower house session to discuss a no-confidence vote in the government, signed by 74 MPs, to lower house speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova (TOP 09).
Of the 74 MPs signing the motion, 56 were from ANO and 18 from the junior opposition party Freedom and Democracy (SPD). As ANO and SPD do not command the absolute majority in the Chamber of Deputies needed for the government to fall, the attempt will probably not be successful.
The opposition say they are calling the no-confidence vote over the affair of the civilian intelligence (UZSI) head Petr Mlejnek, who had contacts with Michal Redl, implicated in the Dosimeter corruption case relating to the Prague Public Transport Company (DPP), and the difficult economic situation that the cabinet is not addressing sufficiently.
At least 50 MPs must sign a motion for a no-confidence vote. According to parliamentary law, the head of the lower house must convene the session immediately after receiving the proposal.
Schillerova said she expected Pekarova Adamova to do so within approximately a week.
For the cabinet to fall, a majority of all 200 lower house deputies, or at least 101 votes, must vote against it. ANO and SPD have 92 seats in the house; the government coalition of the Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), TOP 09 and the Pirates have 108 seats.
There have been 16 votes of no confidence in the government in the history of the Czech Chamber of Deputies, but only one was successful, when four government MPs joined the opposition to vote against the coalition government of Mirek Topolanek (ODS) in March 2009 during the first Czech EU presidency, securing 101 out of 197 votes. In the previous election term, the minority cabinet of former Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) survived three no-confidence votes.
