Opposition filibustering as coalition pushes pension reform

A Czech lower house session discussing pension reform went into a second day on Wednesday. Following 18 hours of debate the governing coalition pushed through a rule under which regular MPs may speak for a maximum of 10 minutes.

Opposition parties ANO and Freedom and Direct Democracy have been filibustering in an attempt to prevent the coalition from pushing through a reduction in the index-linking of old age pensions.

The leader of the latter party, Tomio Okamura, spoke for seven hours, equalling his own previous longest speech.

The government has a comfortable majority in the Chamber of Deputies but is under pressure to pass the legislation in time for it to take effect this year.