President wants removal of health minister over stance on Russian vaccine

President Miloš Zeman wants Prime Minister Andrej Babiš to remove Jan Blatný as health minister over his position on Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. Mr. Blatný says it should not be used in the Czech Republic without EU approval. The president wants the head of the State Institute for Drug Control to be dismissed for the same reason.

Speaking in an interview for the website Parlamentní listy, Mr. Zeman said the two officials’ rejection of the Russian vaccine meant they were responsible for Covid deaths in the Czech Republic.

Mr. Blatný says he will not stand down voluntarily.

President Zeman also said the prime minister should replace the minister of foreign affairs, Tomáš Petříček.

The PM and head of state are due to meet in just under two weeks’ time at the latter’s Lány residence near Prague.