Lawmakers continue vote on confidence in PM Babiš government

Lawmakers will continue on Wednesday with deliberations on a vote of confidence in the coalition cabinet led by Andrej Babiš (ANO). According to information from government circles, the vote itself could take place in the evening. The three governing parties—ANO, SPD and the Motorists—hold a comfortable majority in the lower house, so the government is likely to win the confidence vote.

The debate on Tuesday lasted around 10 hours, with ministers and other representatives of the governing coalition taking turns speaking. Wednesday’s debate, on the other hand, opened with criticism from the opposition.

The Pirate Party's  Olga Richterová highlighted several scandals linked to ANO. Christian Democrat (KDU-ČSL) leader Marek Výborný outlined why his party will not back the government, citing financial concerns. STAN leader Vít Rakušan warned the government would be weak, with the prime minister "held hostage by extremists" and the Mostorists' party.