Andrej Babis’s ANO-led coalition government won a confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies yesterday evening, more than 100 days after last October’s elections. The vote was preceded by a 26-hour debate conducted over three days, the longest such debate ever in the Czech Republic.
According to the announced results, all 108 MPs from the three coalition parties: ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists, supported the government in the vote in the 200-member lower house of parliament.
91 MPs from the opposition Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Pirates, Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09 voted against the cabinet. STAN MP Barbora Urbanova did not vote, excusing herself from the parliamentary session for health reasons.
MPs voted by acclamation, alphabetically, starting with Monika Brzeskova (KDU-CSL), who was chosen first by lot.
At a subsequent press conference, PM Babis celebrated his cabinet winning the votes of all 108 coalition MPs. He said that some of the opposition’s speeches in the preceding debate had been unfriendly and contained insults.
On Tuesday, Babis still had to persuade the SPD parliamentary group, whose member Jaroslav Foldyna had expressed unwillingness to support the government because it had agreed to continue the Czech ammunition initiative in support of Ukraine. Babis said yesterday that these negotiations were friendly and took place in a calm atmosphere.
Last night’s vote of confidence took place 103 days after the parliamentary elections. Four years ago, the Chamber of Deputies expressed its confidence in the coalition government of Petr Fiala (ODS) within 96 days of the elections.
Former Prime Minister and ODS leader Petr Fiala told journalists afterwards that even the most optimistic observer could not have expected the government to lose the vote of confidence. He said that opposition representatives had conscientiously and thoroughly pointed out the risks associated with the government.
Babis’s government is not complete, and currently has 15 members, two fewer than the pre-election coalition cabinet led by Fiala. Before the departure of the Pirates in autumn 2024, Fiala’s cabinet had 18 members.
The Babis government comprises nine ministers nominated by Babis’s ANO, three nominated by the far-right SPD, and three by the Motorists. President Petr Pavel has refused to appoint Filip Turek, honorary chair of the Motorists, as environment minister. The ministry is provisionally led by Foreign Minister and Motorists leader Petr Macinka.
KDU-CSL MP Marian Jurecka failed to push through a resolution for the Chamber of Deputies to express its dissatisfaction with the government’s appointment of Turek in the newly created role of government commissioner for the Green Deal and climate.
Meanwhile, at a press conference following the vote, Fiala distanced himself from reports published by Novinky.cz on Tuesday that the coalition is investigating the possible criminal liability of Zbynek Stanjura (ODS), the finance minister in Fiala’s cabinet (2021-2025), over the state budgets he presented. Fiala said this was something “absolutely beyond the pale of anything possible”, adding that “Politics should not be a civil war where power is abused to criminalise political opponents.”
