Prague, Dec 18 (CTK) – The negotiations of the Czech ANO movement about parties’ support for its minority government will start on Tuesday morning when ANO leaders will meet their Civic Democrat (ODS) counterparts and then the Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL) leaders, ANO spokesman Vladimir Vorechovsky said today.
KDU-CSL leader Pavel Belobradek confirmed the meeting of his party with ANO.
The negotiations are to focus on the new government’s policy statement which the cabinet approved this afternoon. Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) wants to present the government’s policy statement to all parties’ negotiators by Christmas.
Addressed by CTK, representatives of the Fredom and Direct Democracy (SPD), the Pirates, the Communists (KSCM), the Social Democrats (CSSD) and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) have also confirmed their upcoming separate negotiations with ANO.
The ANO negotiating team will meet CSSD representatives on Wednesday, 14:00, CSSD deputies’ group chairman Jan Chvojka told CTK.
The ANO-STAN meeting is scheduled for Wednesday as well, STAN chairman Petr Gazdik said.
The meeting with the Communists is planned for the same day. KSCM deputy head Jiri Dolejs said the exact time and date depends on when the Chamber of Deputies passes the 2018 state budget bill.
The ANO-Pirates meeting will be held on Thursday, Pirate chairman Ivan Bartos said.
The SPD talks with ANO will start on Thursday morning at 08:00, SPD leader Tomio Okamura said.
Babis said the talks with TOP 09 will be held on Thursday as well.
Babis expects a second round of negotiations about parties’ support for his cabinet in the first days of January.
ANO’s one-party minority cabinet will ask for the Chamber of Deputies’ confidence vote on January 10.
For the time being, none of the remaining eight parties in parliament has promised support for the cabinet in the 200-seat Chamber of Deputies, in which ANO commands 78 votes. However, the SPD and the KSCM sided with ANO in some of the crucial votes.