Government to approve 2026 draft budget at the end of September

The Czech government will approve the draft state budget for next year on September 30, Finance Minister Zbyněk Stanjura (Spolu) told Czech Television on Monday. That is the latest possible date, as the law requires the cabinet to submit the proposal to the Chamber of Deputies by the end of September.

The Finance Ministry presented a draft budget in late August with a planned deficit of 286 billion crowns. The cabinet may still make last-minute adjustments.

Since parliamentary elections are scheduled for early October, the proposed draft budget will be debated by the new Chamber of Deputies. The opposition ANO party, which is expected to win the elections by a large margin, has already declared it would reject the draft and push for revisions. In that scenario, the Czech Republic would likely start the year under a provisional budget, which limits government spending.