President Paul concludes first round of post-election consultations

President Petr Pavel concluded the first series of post-election consultations with the chairs of the political parties and movements that succeeded in the Chamber of Deputies elections at Prague Castle. The meetings lasted two days and were aimed at mapping the positions of the individual subjects on the election results and further developments.

According to the President, it was primarily an initial exchange of views. "The aim was to exchange views on the results of the elections, on the possibilities of forming a government, but also on the House of Commons, on their programmatic priorities," he said after the consultations. He added that he had not yet given anyone the mandate to form the government.

Pavel began the consultations on Sunday, when he met with the chairs of the five strongest parties - ANO, ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09 and STAN. On Monday he received the leaders of the Pirates, SPD and the Motorists for Ourselves movement. According to ČT24, the meeting took place in a calm atmosphere and focused mainly on the possible distribution of forces in the lower house and programme priorities.

It was clear from the participants' statements that the possibility of a coalition government of ANO, SPD and Motorists for Ourselves is looming. "There will probably be a coalition government of ANO, SPD and the Motorists," the president said after the consultations, stressing that the specific composition of the cabinet and personnel issues are yet to be resolved.

According to the Czech Press Agency, one of the topics of the talks was the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine, the continuation of which could be reopened in the next period. In this context, Pavel pointed to the importance of foreign policy continuity and the Czech Republic's commitments to its allies.

The President also stated that he would continue to meet individually with the Presidents as needed. The process of forming the new government should take place in parallel with the formation of the new composition of the Chamber of Deputies and its committees.

"I consider it important that the new government is formed in a reasonable time and on the basis of a clear majority," the President said at the end of the briefing.

CPR/gnews.cz - GH