Babis Rejects Early Elections – ‘Zeman Holds All The Cards’

Milos Zeman Andrej Babis

Prague, April 7 (CTK) – An early election is no solution to the situation with the forming of a new Czech government, Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO), whose cabinet did not win parliament’s confidence in January, told journalists today.

 

“Nobody wants an early election, we must find some other solution to create a government as soon as possible because all of us are tired of it,” Babis said after ANO’s talks with the Social Democrats (CSSD) failed on Thursday night.

 

He did not say whether he would try to restart the talks with the CSSD, but only expressed regret over the failure of the negotiations.

 

Babis said he would continue negotiating with the other parties after his planned meeting with President Milos Zeman.

 

It is Zeman who “deals the cards” now, he said.

 

“He is the one who will say whom he will entrust (with forming the next government). Let’s wait until Thursday night and see,” Babis said about Zeman.

 

Babis dismissed the criticism of the other parties who blamed him for the fact that the country has been without a standard government for four months. He indicated that “the so-called democratic parties” are responsible for this.

 

Babis repeatedly said the government-forming negotiations failed because the CSSD insisting on having the post of interior minister. He claimed that an expert rather than a politician occupies the post in his minority cabinet.