Czech Republic

President Zeman in hospital, Czechia in limbo

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Czech politics is currently in a state of paralysis after President Milos Zeman was hospitalised on election weekend. The head of state officially oversees the handover of power after national elections in Czechia. However the 77-year-old fell ill after a meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Sunday. Instead of leading coalition talks and appointing a new prime minister, Zeman – a well-known bon viveur – is receiving treatment at Prague’s Central Military Hospital.

Babis claimed on Tuesday that Zeman had authorised him to talk to potential coalition partners at their post-election meeting . “The President confirmed to me that as the chairman of the strongest party, he would entrust me with forming a government,” he said. However Babis’s ANO party lost support in the weekend elections, and observers in Czechia expressed scepticism both regarding his ability to form a working coalition, and as to why he had waited two days to mention the presidential endorsement.

Dan Nolan

Recent Posts

US soldiers die during Lithuania training exercise

A total of three US soldiers were found dead while a fourth remains missing after…

23 hours ago

Trump-Putin detente could revive Nord Stream 2

The US and Russia are discussing the potential reopening of the Nord Stream 2 gas…

1 day ago

Dodik dodges arrest warrant, surfaces in Moscow

Republika Srpska (RS) President Milorad Dodik announced that he had arrived in Moscow on Monday…

1 day ago

CEE startups outpace Western Europe rivals

Startups in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) are growing faster than in Western Europe and…

1 day ago

Gender pay gaps remain in CEE, despite EU efforts

Romania and Poland have gender pay disparities among the lowest in the EU, according to…

1 week ago

Europe’s trilemma: rearmament, green transition, competitiveness

European leaders met in Brussels on 20 March to confront a mounting policy dilemma: how…

1 week ago