Czech government under PM Babiš survives second no-confidence vote

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s government survived a no-confidence vote in the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday, defeating the opposition’s second attempt to remove the coalition from office.

All 94 coalition lawmakers present voted to support the government, while all 83 attending opposition MPs backed the no-confidence motion. At least 101 votes in the 200-seat lower house would have been required to bring down the cabinet.

The result had been widely expected because the three governing parties—ANO, the Motorists, and Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD)—hold a comfortable parliamentary majority.

The five opposition parties—the Civic Democrats (ODS), Mayors and Independents (STAN), Pirates, TOP 09, and Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL)—called the vote over several disputes with the government.

Opposition leaders criticized the size of the proposed 2027 state budget deficit, Babiš’s allegedly unresolved conflict of interest, and what they described as government attacks on independent institutions.

They also accused the cabinet of weakening national security. Coalition representatives rejected the allegations and used the debate to defend the government’s record ahead of the Oct. 9–10 municipal and Senate elections.

The debate stretched across three parliamentary sitting days and lasted approximately 27.5 hours. Nine opposition and 14 coalition MPs were absent from Thursday evening’s vote.

It was the second no-confidence motion faced by Babiš’s government since it took office late last year.

The first vote was held in February, only 20 days after the cabinet had secured parliamentary confidence. Opposition parties called that session amid an escalating dispute between the Motorists and President Petr Pavel, who refused to appoint Motorists MP Filip Turek as environment minister.

No-confidence motions have succeeded only once in modern Czech history. In March 2009, the Chamber of Deputies removed the government of ODS Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek during Czechia’s presidency of the European Union.

Thursday’s vote was the 22nd attempt to unseat a Czech government through a no-confidence motion. The previous cabinet led by Petr Fiala faced four unsuccessful challenges from ANO and SPD, which were then in opposition.