Fiala to request that acting environment minister remain in office until end of 2022

Prime Minister Petr Fiala told Czech Television on Sunday that he will ask Deputy Premier and Agriculture Minister Marian Jurečka to remain in the position of acting Minister for the Environment until the end of this year.

Mr Jurečka took over the position in October, after fellow Christian Democrat Anna Hubáčková resigned from the position for health reasons.

The party has already proposed a replacement for Ms Hubáčková in the form of Brno’s Deputy Mayor Petr Hladík. However, Mr Hladík’s office was raided by the police as part of an investigation into an alleged corruption case related to the assigning of city apartments in Brno. Although the candidate is not facing any charges, the Czech prime minister said that he does not intend to name someone who will be forced to explain their involvement in ambiguities instead of fully focusing on his department. If no issues arise, Mr Fiala said he will then be ready to name the Christian Democrat candidate.