Czech government faces no-confidence vote days before elections

Czech lawmakers will debate a second motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government Tuesday, just 10 days before voters head to the polls in municipal and Senate elections.

The special session of the Chamber of Deputies will begin at 2 p.m. and is expected to continue Wednesday, lower-house Speaker Tomio Okamura said Friday.

The ANO-led government is widely expected to survive. Its coalition with Freedom and Direct Democracy and the Motorists holds 108 of the chamber’s 200 seats, giving it a comfortable majority if its lawmakers remain united.

The no-confidence motion was called by all five opposition parties: the Civic Democrats, Mayors and Independents, the Pirates, the Christian Democrats and TOP 09.

They cited the size of the government’s proposed CZK 386 billion budget deficit for 2027, Babiš’s unresolved conflict of interest and what they described as government attacks on institutions, courts, nonprofit organizations and the media.

The proposed deficit would be the second-largest in Czech history, surpassed only by the pandemic-era shortfall recorded in 2021.

The opposition holds 92 seats and would need at least nine coalition lawmakers to join it. A no-confidence motion requires support from a majority of all deputies, meaning at least 101 votes rather than simply a majority of those present.

Opposition representatives have appealed in particular to Motorists MPs who have expressed reservations about the draft budget. However, the party’s parliamentary leader Boris Šťastný said all Motorists lawmakers attending the session would vote to support the government.

“We are a solid and active part of the governing majority, and this pre-election stunt cannot derail us,” Šťastný said.

Okamura characterized the session as a campaign gesture ahead of the elections and said there was no realistic prospect of the motion succeeding.

“It is quite clear that a no-confidence motion will not make it through,” he said. “We have no concerns. Our coalition is functioning well.”

Government ministers, coalition party leaders and the heads of the governing parliamentary groups are expected to speak during the debate. Okamura said the coalition would use the session for an extensive review of what the cabinet has achieved.

Babiš confirmed that he would address lawmakers. He described the opposition’s arguments as false and said the coalition would remain united.

The government survived its first no-confidence vote in early February, only 20 days after winning its initial confidence vote.

That session was prompted by an escalating dispute between the Motorists and President Petr Pavel, who refused to appoint Motorists MP Filip Turek as environment minister.

No-confidence debates in Czechia can run for many hours because lawmakers with priority speaking rights face no standard time limit. Unless coalition MPs break ranks, however, Tuesday’s debate is expected to end with Babiš’s government remaining in office.