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As expected, the coalition government led by Andrej Babiš (ANO) has withstood the opposition’s first attempt to pass a vote of no confidence in the Chamber of Deputies. The no-confidence vote was triggered by the escalation of a conflict between the Motorists’ Party, who are part of the governing coalition, and President Petr Pavel, who refused to appoint Filip Turek (the Motorists’ honorary president) as environment minister. The vote took place 20 days after the government had won a vote of confidence.

The motion to bring down the government was supported by 84 MPs from the opposition parties -  ODS, STAN, the Pirates, KDU-ČSL and TOP 09. In the 200-member Chamber of Deputies, at least 101 votes are required for a government to fall.

The debate preceding the vote took two days and a total of 22.5 hours.

President Petr Pavel is ready to appoint an environment minister and expects a new proposal from the prime minister, the Presidential Office said after a morning meeting with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO). Babiš earlier stated that he does not plan to appoint Motorists’ Party MP Filip Turek and described the matter as closed following talks with the president.

Later in the day, Babiš said he will not pressure the Motorists' Party arty to propose an alternative candidate for environment minister. Speaking to reporters, he said that if the Motorists' Party decide to nominate someone other than Filip Turek, he would submit the proposal in line with the coalition agreement. For now, however, he said it does not appear likely.

Turek was not appointed by the president due to his views and statements. For now, the Motorists’ Party leader Petr Macinka serves as environment minister while also heading Czech diplomacy. Macinka clashed with the president over Turek’s non-appointment.

On Wednesday, miners at the ČSM mine in Stonava, Karviná, hauled the last wagon of coal from a depth of 1,300 metres. This marks the symbolic end of black coal mining in the Ostrava-Karviná region and the entire Czech Republic after nearly 250 years. Dozens of guests attended the ceremony underground, while others watched on two large outdoor screens, the Czech News Agency reported.

The company that ran the last coal mine is state-owned OKD. As mining gradually became uneconomical, the company closed all its mines and is now shifting to other activities. On the last day of January, 750 workers lost their jobs at the mines, with another 150 leaving by February 28. Technical decommissioning of the last mines, where coal was extracted for almost 50 years, is expected to take about three years.

Analysts say the closure will have a negligible impact on the Czech energy sector. Brown coal is still mined in north-western Bohemia but is also expected to end in the coming years.

The regular meetings of Czech constitutional officials at Prague Castle to discuss foreign affairs will no longer take place, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) said after Wednesday’s talks with President Petr Pavel. The meetings, which brought together the president, prime minister, leaders of both parliamentary chambers, and the foreign minister to coordinate stances on foreign policy, no longer made “much sense,” according to Babiš. He told journalists he will now discuss foreign policy directly with the president, while Pavel will meet the other participants separately. He also added that he now discusses foreign policy within the ANO, SPD and Motorists' Party coalition.

The decision follows last week’s controversy, when Pavel published text messages sent by Foreign Minister Petr Macinka (Motorists‘ Party) to his advisers, which Pavel has described as amounting to an attempt at blackmail. Babiš said he wants to calm the situation and confirmed that the Motorists’ Party honorary president Filip Turek will not be appointed environment minister.

Former Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) criticised the decision to end the coordination meetings, calling it “completely wrong” on X. He warned it could lead to chaos and weaken the Czech Republic’s standing abroad. Other opposition figures reacted similarly.