Babiš: Zeman offered me two tries at forming government

The outgoing Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, says that President Miloš Zeman offered him two tries at forming a new government. Mr. Babiš said this conversation took place a short while before Mr. Zeman was taken to hospital with an unrevealed chronic condition.

The prime minister reiterated that he would not make use of this offer and that an emerging five-party coalition of opposition parties, headed by Petr Fiala of the Civic Democrats, would be able to form a government by Christmas.

Mr. Babiš made the comments in a weekly social media address on Sunday evening. Two is the maximum number of times somebody can be tasked with trying to create a government capable of winning a confidence vote in the lower house.