Debate on 2021 budget suspended until Friday

A lower house session focused on the 2021 state budget has been suspended until Friday morning after Andrej Babiš’s coalition government failed to win support for it on Wednesday.

The Communist Party normally backs the minority government on key votes but was demanding cuts to the defence budget that the prime minister said were unacceptable.

Mr. Babiš has asked in vain for opposition deputies to leave the chamber and so help the vote to pass.

The planned budget deficit of CZK 320 billion is a record and comes in response to the coroanvirus crisis.