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President refuses to accept ministers’ resignations

  17:11

Klaus wants Nečas to submit a plan on how a new government will function before he’ll accept any Cabinet-level resignations

President Klaus has called a time-out on debate over which ministers’ heads should roll foto: © ČTKČeská pozice

President Václav Klaus moved on Monday to call a time-out on an escalating dispute within the coalition government over which ministerial heads will roll following a “cash for loyalty” scandal centered on Transport Minister Vít Bárta, the Public Affairs (VV) paymaster. Klaus said he will not accept the resignation of any minister until the government presents him with a plan on how it should continue.

“Before I accept a resignation or issue a decision on the dismissal of this or that minister, I want to have a plan, project or [statement of] intent on the further functioning of the government from the prime minister on my table,” Klaus said at a press conference at Prague Castle at noon on Monday.

Klaus said that he didn’t want another long period of “chaos” without a functioning government like in 2006, when there was deadlock following the parliamentary elections that resulted in a hung parliament. The president’s intervention comes amid a widening dispute over proposals to reshuffle the Cabinet that threatens to topple the three-party coalition comprised of the senior Civic Democrats (ODS) and its junior partners TOP 09 and VV.

Following the resignation of Transport Minister Vít Bárta on Friday — immediately accepted by Prime Minister Petr Nečas (ODS) but yet to be signed off on by the president — Nečas called for the Cabinet to be cleansed of VV party leader Radek John (the Interior Minister) and Education Minister Josef Dobeš (VV) because they were also connected to the ABL detective and security agency that was formerly owned by Bárta and which sponsored VV.

Nečas argued the two ministers effectively took orders from Bárta and could not be allowed to stay in the Cabinet. He also said that John had proven incapable of running the interior ministry. “His [John’s] political executioner is Vít Bárta, who sent him to the ministry, for which Mr. John was not prepared and was unable to manage,” Nečas said.   

John hit back saying that Public Affairs would agree only if Finance Minister Miroslav Kalousek (the TOP 09 deputy party leader), Defense Minister Alexandr Vondra (ODS) and Agriculture Minister Ivan Fuksa (ODS) also quit their posts. He further said that VV would be willing to vote against the coalition in a no-confidence motion — and thereby cause the collapse of the government — if it were pushed.

The main opposition Social Democrats (ČSSD) say they will call for a motion of no-confidence by the end of this week if the government does not do so before. “The prime minister has until Friday to call a vote of no confidence himself. If he doesn’t do this, we’ll do it ourselves,” ČSSD leader Bohuslav Sobotka said Sunday. ‘The prime minister has until Friday to call a vote of no confidence himself. If he doesn’t do this, we’ll do it ourselves.’

John appeared ready to retreat for a governement-threatening clash on Monday morning. He appealed to Nečas to call a meeting of the K9 — the group of party leaders convened to solve disputes between them — the same day in order to negotiate a reshuffle of the ministers. John added that VV has candidates to replace its departing ministers but did not reveal their names.

Meanwhile Kalousek underlined that trust in the government’s credibility was at stake over the post-scandal sackings and that to his mind there was no question of VV ministers John and Dobeš remaing in the Cabinet. “We can hardly allow ABL [teh security firm founded by Bárta] to decide on personnel policy. It simply isn’t possible. We would lose all the trust in us,” Kalousek told public broadcaster Rádio Česko.  

Klaus’ refusal to accept resignations sought by Nečas is likely to fuel fresh controversy over his use of presidential powers. Under the constitution, the head of state is tasked with appointing and accepting the resignation of ministers, but it is broadly understood that he acts in line with the prime minister’s wishes.

The president’s advisor, Ladislav Jakl, told the news server Parlamentnilisty.cz that Klaus would not support a coalition government majority formed with defectors. Three VV lower house deputies have left the party: Jaroslav Škárka, Kristýna Kočí and Stanislav Huml were expelled from VV’s parliamentary group of MPs last Thursday, though Huml announced his resignation beforehand.

There is speculation that VV parliamentary deputy Jana Suchá may also quit the party. The ODS and TOP 09 have 54 and 41 seats, respectively. Together with the existing three defectors, they would have 98 seats in the 200-seat lower house, still short of an overall majority.

The “cash for loyalty” scandal erupted after revealations that Bárta had handed at least Kč 170,000 to Škárka and Kč 500,000 to Kočí to maintain they loyalty. Exerts from a five-year plan presented to ABL top managers back when Bárta was its owner showed that he saw politics as a means of furthering the economic interests and position of the company.

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