SocDems to skip Friday’s scheduled no-confidence vote

Social Democrat MPs will not be present for Friday’s scheduled no-confidence vote in the government led by ANO party chairman Andrej Babiš, the ČTK news agency reports.

In total only 92 MPs have said they will not back the government while 101 votes are needed for the move to pass, so a walk-out by the Social Democrats is a symbolic move that will not change the outcome.

Social Democrats chairman Jan Hamáček has favours remaining in the coalition government with ANO but has suggested that Mr. Babiš could go as prime minister, a move supported by the Prague branch of the Social Democrats.

Mr Babiš has been embroiled in scandal since his son said he had wanted him to “disappear” during an ongoing criminal investigation into the prime minister’s alleged illegal use of EU subsidies that went to the Stork’s Next complex near Prague.