Czech Would-Be Prime Minister Clears First Hurdle in Parliament
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Czech prime minister aspirant Andrej Babis cleared his first hurdle in parliament after winning last month’s elections by securing the assembly’s speaker post for his euroskeptic ANO party with the backing of anti-establishment lawmakers.
After dominating the October vote but ending up without a majority, Babis, the Czech Republic’s second-richest person, had secured verbal support from the anti-Muslim SPD party, the Communists and the Pirates to elect ANO lawmaker Radek Vondracek as parliamentary chairman. In a secret ballot, Vondracek was elected with 135 of parliament’s 200 seats. The outcome gives Babis a key post in the cabinet-building process and the strongest voice in managing the legislature.