President Zeman to meet prospective interior, trade ministers

President Miloš Zeman is continuing his talks with candidates for ministerial posts in the five-party coalition government of prime minister-designate Petr Fiala.

On Wednesday, the head of state is due to receive Vít Rakušan of the Independents and Mayors party, tapped to be the next interior minister, and fellow party-member Jozef Síkela, the candidate to become minister of industry and trade.

Zeman began meeting the candidate ministers on November 29 and is due to have his last tête-à-tête on Friday. The meetings are in person, but Zeman sits in a plexiglass box throughout, as he has tested positive for coronavirus.

Thus far, the president has reportedly only objected to one candidate, Jan Lipavský of the Pirate Party, who is tapped to be the next foreign minister. After the two met on Tuesday morning, Lipavský said the Czech Republic needs to greatly rethink its relations with Russia and China, two states with which the president has fostered close ties.