Petr Fiala appointed Prime Minister of the Czech Republic

Czech President Miloš Zeman appointed Petr Fiala as the new prime minister of the Czech Republic shortly after 11:00 a.m. this morning at the Presidential Chateau in Lány. Fiala is the chairman of the Civic Democrat party and head of the SPOLU (Together) alliance.

As Zeman has recently tested positive for Covid-19, he was separated from Fiala and others at the swearing-in ceremony by a transparent glass box. All those present at the ceremony wore respirators.

"Allow me to congratulate you from the bottom of my heart on your appointment as Prime Minister," Zeman told Fiala during the ceremony.

"I myself held this position long ago for four years, following two principles: respect people who have accomplished something in life, and do not respect those who do not visibly work, but who advise others on how to work. This includes both journalists, especially political commentators, and failed politicians."

"Let me once again wish you what is most important in politics, success and the feeling of a job well done. Good luck."

Zeman originally planned to appoint Fiala as Prime Minister Friday, but the Presidential Office had to postpone the ceremony after the president tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.

The Czech president then had to return to Prague's Central Military Hospital, where he had been hospitalized since October 10 due to complications resulting from a chronic illness.

SPOLU, along with an alliance formed by the Pirates and STAN parties, formed a majority coalition in the Czech parliament after the general election in the Czech Republic in early October.

Together narrowly received the most amount of votes in the election, topping the ANO party and former PM Andrej Babiš. Fiala, leader of Together coalition, was appointed Prime Minister seven weeks after the election due to ongoing health concerns surrounding the Czech president.

The Together alliance consists of the Civic Democrat, Christian Democrat, and Top-09 parties. They signed an agreement to form a majority government coalition with another alliance consisting of the Pirates and STAN parties shortly after the general election. Together, the five parties hold 108 of the 200 seats in the Czech Chamber of Deputies.

Fiala wants the members of his cabinet, who also need to be sworn in by the Czech president, to assume power in mid-December at the latest. Until then, the outgoing government formed by Andrej Babiš stays in power.

"As the President of the Republic is to contribute to the smooth formation of the new government, I would like to inform you that I will be attending the first of the meetings with your nominated candidates tomorrow, in alphabetical order, because no one will be discriminated against or preferred," Zeman told Fiala this morning.

"The series [of meetings] will end on December 13, and it will be possible to prepare for the formation of the government as a whole at that point."