Fiala’s resignation is a constitutionally required step following the inaugural session of the new lower house. Pavel last week asked oligarch and former prime minister Andrej Babiš to form the next cabinet.
Babiš’s ANO movement won the early-October election and is assembling a government with the far-right, anti-EU Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the EU-skeptic Motorists party. He has already signed a coalition agreement with his partners.
Pavel urged an orderly handover, so the incoming team can start quickly. Thanking the president, Fiala pledged a smooth and dignified transition.
The president said Fiala’s administration governed through a difficult period marked by Russia’s war on Ukraine, which contributed to migration and energy crises. He praised its assertive foreign and security policy but faulted shortcomings in education and in digitizing building procedures.
Fiala’s five-party coalition took office on December 17, 2021, after swiftly uniting to replace Babiš’s prior minority cabinet, which had won the 2021 vote but failed to build a majority.
Babiš is due to meet Pavel next Wednesday to present the new government’s program, possibly its lineup, and explain how he will avoid conflicts of interest.
The ANO leader is the sole owner of the Agrofert conglomerate; Czech and EU rules bar a prime minister from holding Agrofert shares, and transferring them to blind trusts is not considered a solution. Pavel has conditioned Babiš’s appointment on resolving the issue.
(jh)
Source: PAP