Czechia’s caretaker prime minister and the head of Ano party, populist billionaire Andrej Babis has announced Ano’s candidates for the ministries. Apart from five portfolios, which should be headed by the Social Democrats (CSSD), three ministers will be changed, Babis said on June 22.

His nomination for the role of justice minister, Tatana Mala (Ano), drew ire. Mala has been battling both the right-wing opposition and Ano’s coalition partner CSSD. In a separate development, head of CSSD Jan Hamacek met President Milos Zeman and said he might take over the foreign ministry to ease tensions over the party’s nomination for the post. 

The main changes are new ministers at the ministries of defence and justice. Mala will replace Robert Pelikan (Ano) and has been heavily criticised by the opposition.

When the parliament discussed whether it should remove Babis' immunity to allow his prosecution over fraudulent EU funding claims by his Capi hnizdo (Stork’s Nest) resort, Mala said that the courts should wait.

“Where is the problem so the affair can be dealt with after four years, or wait till next elections?” Media and opposition criticised Mala, saying there should be equality before the law for all. The right-wing parties TOP09 and ODS repeated this criticism on June 22.

Departing minister Robert Pelikan (Ano) said earlier that he doesn’t support the view of other Ano members, who want a tough stance against socially excluded people.

“My opinions and statements are not always [in keeping with the] majority statements of our [Ano] movement… Concretely, it is the problem of human rights. It is very hard to find an understanding among the Ano members of parliament,” Pelikan told Czech online news service Aktualne.cz in April.

Karla Slechtova (Ano), the current defence minister, will be replaced by the current caretaker interior minister Lubomir Metnar (also Ano). “He [Babis] said to me in the morning that I won’t be proposed in the next government,” Slechtova said.

Babis didn’t want to expand on his choice either. “It is my proposal and my responsibility,” he said. Slechtova has been criticised in recent months for not signing tenders for military helicopters and mobile radars already approved by the military.

The third change is with a new industry ministry, which will be headed by businesswoman and president of the Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism Marta Novakova, who replaces Tomas Huner (Ano).

The other names are the same, including transport minister Dan Tok (Ano), who said earlier that he is going to resign if Ano co-operated with the Neo-Nazi Freedom and Direct Democracy party.

The prospective junior coalition partner, CSSD, was surprised by some of Ano’s candidates. “I want to ask Babis if Mala is the best choice for the justice ministry,” said party leader Hamacek.

The Social Democrats announced their names before an intra-party referendum, but Babis only released his list of names on June 22 although he had pledged to do so earlier.

Besides these seats, five Ano ministers are leaving their portfolios to make way for Social Democratic nominees: the ministry of labour and social affairs, culture ministry, agriculture ministry, interior ministry and ministry of foreign affairs will go to the Social Democrats.

Hamacek as foreign minister?

The interior ministry is expected to be headed by Hamacek, who met Zeman in the afternoon of June 22. However, Hamacek confirmed that Zeman still has a problem with a candidate for foreign minister Miroslav Poche (CSSD), and indicated that he might take over the foreign ministry himself. 

Zeman claims that Poche is questioning Czechia's pro-Israeli policy and opposes the EU migration quotas. Czech media, on the other hand, speculated that Zeman is either taking revenge against Poche for having endorsed his rival Jiri Drahos in the presidential election in January, or that Zeman wants a pro-Russian, pro-Chinese puppet to head the ministry instead of a pro-EU, pro-Western minister.

Poche himself also met with Zeman on June 22 for an hour and a half. “We had very open and nice debate,” Poche said. 

“We agreed on all bilateral relationships with our partners. But despite further discussions, we couldn’t come to an agreement,” according to a presidential spokesman, on migration policy.

Poche went on to criticise the spokesman Jiri Ovcacek for slandering him and claiming that he is corrupt.

Hamacek said in response that a compromise could be to run the foreign ministry himself as the head of CSSD. “But heading two portfolios is not for three and a half years. The aim would be to find a stable solution as quickly as possible.”

This would unblock the deadlock and enable a confidence vote in the lower house of parliament to occur on July 11.