Coalition parties to decide budget strategy

The emerging ANO–SPD–Motorists coalition will agree on its next steps regarding the 2026 state budget on Monday morning, ANO vice-chair and likely future finance minister Alena Schillerová said on CNN Prima News. She declined to say whether she might support increasing the deficit or call for the budget to be sent back to the outgoing government for revision, a move that would lead to a provisional budget  at the start of next year.

The draft budget proposed by the outgoing government foresees a 286 billion-crown deficit. ANO claims that the proposal fails to cover mandatory and legally required expenditures, as well as key investment spending totaling 95.9 billion crowns.