The wild card in Prague Castle

CONDEMNED by some as non-democratic, the recent tactics of Miloš Zeman, the Czech president, may yet lead to the most democratic of results, namely early elections. The caretaker government appointed by Mr Zeman failed to gain parliamentary support in a vote on August 7th.

In the wake of a corruption and spying scandal that saw Petr Nečas, the prime minister, and his government deposed, Mr Zeman was criticised for bypassing parliament and appointing a caretaker government comprised of loyalists. That government, led by Jiří Rusnok (pictured), a long-time ally of Mr Zeman, received the backing of just 93 of the 193 MPs present on August 7th. Mr Rusnok said he will tender his resignation “without delay, as the constitution requires”. In a sign of the absurd political atmosphere of recent months, two serving MPs could not attend the vote because they were incarcerated.

Although the result was expected, voting exposed a continued splintering of political parties. It showed that nobody looks capable of forming a government that can win a confidence vote. The 11-hour...Continue reading