John departure renews pressure on already strained government

Only a month after the Czech government balanced on the edge of collapse, the coalition led by Prime Minister Petr Nečas was hit by another bombshell: the announcement on Wednesday by the deputy prime minister and only recently-named anti-corruption tsar Radek John that he was leaving the cabinet. Angered by the prime minister’s interference in personnel choices at his office, the Public Affairs party head made clear he had had enough. His resignation could now easily renew the crisis of just a few weeks ago.

Radek John

The argument between Prime Minister Petr Nečas and Mr John may have been over personnel choices, but it became all too clear on Wednesday that as far as problems in the government are concerned, it was only the tip of the iceberg. Relations between Mr John’s party, Public Affairs, and the other coalition members the Civic Democrats and TOP 09 remain strained after the recent corruption scandal, and could worsen again after Mr. John questioned the government’s commitment to fighting corruption or finding common ground on reforms. As he announced he was not taking up the anti-corruption portfolio he slammed the government for a lack of progress on those issues and indicated problems that lie ahead:

Petr Nečas

“Let me remind you that in April, at a meeting of the coalition party leaders, we made concessions. In turn, we expected that the government would do the following: work intensively on reforms and introduce further cabinet changes using the same measuring stick that was used against Public Affairs... We also expected the creation of a functioning and independent anti-corruption office, with an independent team headed by myself. But reforms are not being discussed; the leaders of the coalition parties are not holding talks, and cabinet changes have not gone through.”

At the core Public Affairs – the smallest party in government – has been deeply dissatisfied over its place in the cabinet ever since finding itself at the centre of an intense corruption scandal. The party lost the interior ministry, lost its original transport minister Vít Bárta, and only barely managed to hang on to the education ministry. In return, it expected an additional reshuffle, affecting the finance, defence and agriculture ministries, with their own share of problems, headed by the Civic Democrats and TOP 09. But that hasn’t happened and since then Prime Minister Petr Nečas has indicated further changes may not even be necessary, adding fuel to the fire. Public Affairs Radek John again:

Radek John, photo: CTK

“I have said repeatedly I am not interested in holding a post just for the sake of being there, I am interested in continuing the fight against corruption. I am resigning as a member of the government because in my view the situation is no longer tenable and I call on the prime minister to call a meeting of the coalition party leaders at the earliest possible date.”

Mr John stopped short of saying Public Affairs would leave government, but it is clear that he and his party have thrown down the gauntlet for the prime minister to either see through a cabinet reshuffle or face a renewed crisis. While something of a gamble, the Public Affairs head knows without his party the majority government – and planned reforms with it – can’t survive.