Why the opposition can't topple Babiš
The opposition in the Czech parliament wants to try to topple Prime Minister Andrej Babiš with a vote of no confidence in the wake of a subsidies scandal. The police are investigating Babiš on charges of misusing EU subsidies for a health resort, and his own son has accused him of having had him abducted to prevent him from giving testimony. Commentators believe the no-confidence vote won't succeed and explain why.
Babiš is all Ano has
The two Czech coalition parties, Babiš's Ano and the Social Democrats, will stick together for fear of fresh elections, Aktuálně.cz predicts:
“Early elections hang over the prime minister's head like the sword of Damocles. True, his Ano party wouldn't fall under the five-percent mark, as the Social Democratic Party threatens to do. But a result of less than 25 percent of the vote is certainly in the cards. Of course Andrej Babiš's resignation and his replacement by another prime minister from Ano's ranks would be the ideal solution. But the prime minister throwing in the towel of his own accord is as unlikely as Trump's admitting that the Russians helped him win the US presidential elections. And moreover: who would replace Babiš? He's all Ano's got.”
Coalition partners need each other
For better or worse Ano and the Social Democrats (ČSSD) are dependent on each other, explains Právo:
“Our two ruling parties have one thing in common: they have zero potential to form a coalition with others. That is the main reason why despite all their differences of opinion, different agendas and unconcealed mutual dislike they remain together in the coalition. The ČSSD and the Communists could never form a government even if they had three times as many mandates. The Social Democrats, for their part, couldn't join forces with the conservative parties mainly because their political goals are so different. So the only option is Prime Minister Babiš's Ano party. That's why the Social Democrats will never voluntarily give up this alliance.”