Prague, (CTK) – Prime Minister in resignation Andrej Babis (ANO) congratulated President Milos Zeman on his re-election and he said on Twitter he believed that the campaign based on attacks on Zeman would not be successful.
Zeman defended his post, beating former Science Academy chairman Jiri Drahos in the runoff vote today. He gained 51.4 percent of the vote.
The presidential election results show that the society is split and that Zeman will have to try to unite it, Babis said in a press release sent to CTK.
He will comment on the election results in detail at his press conference tonight.
Babis has not yet commented on Zeman’s statement that he will have more time for forming his second cabinet now.
“Since I was re-elected, I cannot see any reason why I should exert pressure on Andrej Babis with a too short deadline for the appointment of his government,” Zeman said.
Babis’s ANO movement, whose minority government resigned ten days ago as the Chamber of Deputies did not vote confidence in it, supported Zeman in the presidential battle against academic Drahos in the past weeks.
Zeman promised to ANO then that he would appoint Babis as PM for the second time in February even if he lost the presidential election.
Babis also personally promoted Zeman’s re-election, saying the current president was long supporting Czech industry and national interests.
However, after the first election round, Babis recommended that Zeman get rid of some of his close aides.