The party leaders of ANO, SPD and Motorists agreed on a path forward at a coalition meeting to discuss various topics, including the budget and ministerial appointments.
According to the spokesman for Prague Castle, Vít Kolář, President Petr Pavel made recommendations for the program, although he did not expect the coalition to fully fall in line with his requests.
One request was to supplement the program statement with the government’s position on the Russian war against Ukraine, including a commitment to fulfill allied obligations in the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and increasing defense spending.
However, Babiš has said that the statement is the result of a compromise between the coalition parties. “The coalition council has come to the conclusion that there is no reason to change the draft program statement,” he told press, according to Echo24.
“It is not acceptable for us to modify our program statement based on the objections of the president,” said SPD chairman Tomio Okamura, who said the statement was excellent. “There is consensus that we will not return to the program statement,” added Motorists chairman Petr Macinka.
Pavel believes that the future coalition has every right to put whatever it wants on its agenda. “It was primarily a recommendation for consideration in the area of foreign policy and security, where continuity is important, also with regard to allied commitments,” Kolář told ČTK late this evening.
Pavel, however, has insisted that Babiš should announce to the public how he will resolve his conflict of interest over his ownership of Agrofert before he is appointed prime minister. Babiš assured his coalition colleagues that he is resolving the conflict of interest and, “if the president wishes, I will say it publicly.” However, he has reiterated that he will not sell Agrofert.
The government of ANO, SPD and Motorists is to have 16 members, including the prime minister, nine seats will go to the ANO movement, three to the SPD movement, four to the Motorists. The SPD and Motorists are to submit their nominations for ministers to Babiš next week, and he will then ask the president for a meeting.
“We have agreed that we will agree on a schedule for publishing the names of ministers during the next week,” said Okamura. He added that his movement has already fulfilled its obligations, having already proposed its expert candidates to Babiš, who has also discussed them.
The coalition also wants to approve the state budget for next year so that there is no budget contingency. It believes that this can be done. The proposal, which the outgoing government sent to the Chamber of Deputies, calculates a deficit of 286 billion crowns.
“Next week, we will start talking about what changes we will prepare, what else can be changed. In the first reading, we will have to approve the budget framework so that there is no contingency. So the room for possible changes is already relatively small,” said Okamura.
Babiš has previously stated that the budget lacks 85 billion in mandatory spending.
“We have to verify the money missing in other chapters, such as education or agriculture. We are quite under time pressure,” said the deputy chairwoman of the ANO parliamentary group, Alena Schillerová, who may serve as the future minister of finance.
The parliamentary budget committee will meet on Friday to discuss the budget and is expected to approve the draft schedule for its discussion.
