The opposition movements ANO and SPD persist in their efforts to topple the government of Petr Fiala (ODS). Parliament members returned to their seats after a night-long break at 9 in the morning, following 16 hours of deliberations on Tuesday. The opposition aims to express a vote of no confidence in the cabinet, which it claims is harming the country and failing in governance. However, the government’s fall is not anticipated due to the coalition majority of 108 votes. The discussions are being broadcast live by Novinky.
The Chamber of Deputies’ session to attempt a vote of no confidence began at 10 on Tuesday morning. Following an agreement, lawmakers adjourned at two in the morning on Wednesday and returned to their seats after a seven-hour break.
The meeting was convened at the behest of the opposition movement ANO, driven by Prime Minister Fiala’s reluctance a few weeks ago to dismiss the leader of the coalition movement STAN, Vít Rakušan, from his position as Minister of the Interior.
According to ANO and its leader Andrej Babiš, Rakušan is a “security risk” due to owning an encrypted phone identical to those used by individuals implicated in the Prague corruption case Dozimetr. However, in the plenary session, he mentioned that the case was just a “cherry on top” and criticized the cabinet for handling inflation, energy prices, migration, and security.
On Tuesday, the podium was mainly occupied by lawmakers with priority rights, including ministers, party leaders, parliamentary clubs, and the leadership of the Chamber of Deputies. Government members primarily defended the actions of their ministries and briefed the MPs on their achievements.
Regular MPs only had the floor after eleven at night. They, too, delivered lengthy speeches, leading to the session stretching into Wednesday. Over fifty MPs were still awaiting their turn to speak in the morning. According to backstage estimates, the vote of confidence will only occur on Wednesday evening.