Prague: Babiš's minority government sworn in
Just under two months after the parliamentary elections in Prague Prime Minister Andrej Babiš's government has been sworn into office. However, the controversial billionaire and media mogul's protest movement Ano has only 78 of the 200 seats in parliament and as a minority government must seek supporters for its projects. Commentators discuss what impact this new government constellation will have on Czech politics.
Dangerous constellation in the Czech Republic
Given Babiš's supporters, Dennik N doesn't see anything good coming out of the current alliance:
“This is at least for now the worst possible combination: Andrej Babiš with [President] Miloš Zeman, the right-wing extremist Tomio Okamura and the communists. Never before has a president so demonstratively stressed his closeness to the government. Zeman said it didn't have to give a fig about parliament's approval, it was independent because it had been appointed by him - a kind of monarch. In return Babiš will support Zeman's re-election as president. ... In parliament, meanwhile, a voting alliance consisting of Babiš's people and MPs on the right and left is pushing all their projects through. The extremists are gaining powerful positions they would never have dreamed of holding.”
Babiš must persuade, not criticise
The new prime minister's first trip takes him to the EU summit, where he plans to highlight the Czech Republic's dislike of the migration policy. In Hospodářské noviny's view this isn't a bad start to his presidency:
“Babiš is right to complain about the Czech Republic's lack of influence in the EU. We often don't say what we want, we just criticise. We should finally start behaving like a normal EU member with all the corresponding rights and obligations. The question is, what is behind Babiš's words? ... It doesn't take great skill to bang on the table and say that you don't want quotas for the redistribution of refugees, for example. The skill lies in persuading other EU member states to follow this course.”