Marvanova to step down as MP after giving birth to third child
The Chamber of Deputies lost one of its best known MPs at the weekend when Hana Marvanova, a deputy for the right-of-centre coalition Freedom Union, announced she was stepping down to spend more time with her family. Ms Marvanova gave birth to a son - her third child - on Tuesday, and she told reporters that looking after three children and fulfilling her duties in the lower house was no longer possible.
"It was a surprise yes, because she didn't say anything in advance, and everyone thought she would continue as an MP [after giving birth], so it was a surprise for me."
What about her motives? She said she would have been able to spend less time in parliament because she's just given birth to a baby boy. Do you think that was the true reason behind it?
"I think so. I have no reason to doubt her statement. She has three children, so staying at home is a reasonable decision in my opinion."
Hana Marvanova has been a thorn in the side of the coalition government over the past year. She's made no secret of her opposition to the government's finance policies. Do you think that life will be easier now for the government, especially at a time when it attempts to pass important public finance reforms?
"We shouldn't mix up two different things. She did vote [last year] against the government's proposal for how to find the finances for removing the impact of the floods. But now she was discussing how the budget should be constructed, and she was not alone. There was a discussion and she hinted that she would support the government's reforms because she considered it better than nothing."
So her departure will have little influence on the stability of the coalition government, which has a majority of just one vote in parliament.
"No. I think the problems are now within the [senior coalition] Social Democrats, not within [Ms Marvanova's] Freedom Union."
What about Hana Marvanova herself? Do you think we'll see her return to top politics at some point?
"I think so. She's accustomed to politics, she's spent almost all of the last thirteen years since 1989 in politics, so I think she will return in some way."
She's certainly a very popular politician, isn't she?
"Yes. Although I have a bit of a problem with Hana Marvanova, because her behaviour was on many occasions not very rational in my opinion. But she's a popular politician, that's true."
