The Czech president considers not appointing the winner of the election as prime minister: “I would contribute to the creation of an illegal situation”
Andrej Babis and Petr Pavel, Photo: Michal Cizek / AFP / Profimedia
Czech President Petr Pavel threatened on Monday that he will not appoint the winner of the recent legislative elections, Andrej Babis, as prime minister, in the context of a dispute related to the billionaire's conflict of interests, reports DPA, taken over by Agerpres.
Pavel said that Babis has to choose between the role of a businessman and that of a politician. “If Andrej Babis is not able to resolve his conflict of interests, I would contribute to the creation of an illegal situation by appointing him,” Pavel explained.
It would be better for the winner of the elections to propose another candidate for the position of prime minister, he added.
In the Czech Republic, a law designed to prevent conflicts of interest has been in force since 2017.
Babis, a billionaire considered critical of the European Union, won parliamentary elections in October when his ANO party won 34.5% of the vote.
In his first term as head of government between 2017 and 2021, Babis entrusted his companies to a trust fund, but in the meantime dissolved it and refused to clarify whether he would repeat the maneuver.
Pavel's statement was made on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution of 1989, which opened Czechoslovakia's transition to democracy.
Numerous politicians, including Babis, laid wreaths at a memorial dedicated to the violently suppressed large student demonstration on November 17, 1989. Every year, the event is marked by a large street festival, which includes concerts, workshops and discussions.
