The Czech government faced a crisis after the junior party in the ruling coalition said it would quit the cabinet over Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s decision to sack the party’s leader.
Fiala stated that he would ask the president to dismiss Regional Development Minister Ivan Bartoš by the end of the month. He said he had lost faith in Bartoš’s ability to cope with problems related to the new digital system for issuing building permits.
In the Czech Republic, the president appoints and dismisses government ministers at the request of the prime minister. However, Fiala announced he would not act until he returned home from the United States and learnt the details.
Tuesday’s developments came after the disappointing results of Bartoš’s Pirates party in regional elections on Saturday. As a result, he stepped down as head of the party. Besides him, the Pirates have two other ministers in the government, including the foreign minister.
Besides him, the Pirates have two other ministers in the government, including Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský. Fiala claimed he was satisfied with their performance and asked the Pirates to nominate a new minister to replace the one who left.
However, Bartoš told Czech media on Tuesday that he assumed “it’s the end” of his party in the government. Its exit from the coalition still has to be approved in an online referendum of party members in the coming days.
