Lower house debating 2026 state budget in first reading

The Chamber of Deputies has started debating the government’s proposed state budget for 2026 with a planned deficit of 310 billion crowns.

In the first reading, the Chamber of Deputies will vote on the main budget parameters, including revenues, expenditures and the deficit. A lengthy debate is expected, after which the lower house is likely to approve the core figures with support from the governing coalition.

In the second reading lawmakers will be able to propose reallocations within the overall budget.

The opposition has criticized both the size of the deficit and what it describes as a breach of the law on budgetary responsibility. Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (ANO) rejects claims of a legal violation, arguing that the law applies only to budgets discussed within the standard timeframe. She has described the draft as realistic and the proposed deficit as optimal, given mandatory expenditures.