Pavel Burian
January 11, 2018 PoliticsChamber Delays Confidence Vote to Focus on Babis's Fraud Case
The House on Wednesday surprisingly did not decide whether to give Andrei Babiše’s confidence. The legislators postponed the vote next Tuesday. At the time, it should be clear how the Mandate and Immunity Committee will stand up to the request for Babies and his right hand to Jaroslaw Faltynk to prosecute in the Capi Hnzido.
The current session of the Czech lower house has been suspended until next Tuesday afternoon. The minority ANO government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš had been due to undergo a first vote of confidence on Wednesday. However, it was decided to interrupt proceedings after negotiations of the immunity committee held during a break in Wednesday’s session ran on for some time. The committee is due to consider whether to recommend that Mr. Babiš be allowed to face criminal charges over the alleged abuse of EU subsidies.
Unless there is some breakthrough between now and Tuesday, the ANO minority government is expected to lose the vote of confidence.
If a second confidence vote is in fact required, President Miloš Zeman said on Wednesday that he would give ANO time for another attempt to form a government. However, he insists that they produce in advance a written document promising to form a government with the signatures of at least 101 deputies.
