PRAGUE - Representatives of the ANO, SPD and Motorists movements signed a coalition agreement in the Chamber of Deputies. The document confirms the division of ministries and the appointment of a representative of the SPD to the post of speaker of the lower house. The parties confirmed the agreement an hour before the start of the constituent session of the new Chamber of Deputies.
The coalition agreement stipulates, among other things, that the Prime Minister will be a nominee of the ANO movement, who, according to the text, bears the main responsibility for managing the Government, coordinating its activities and ensuring a unified approach by the coalition partners.
The emerging coalition has a majority of 108 votes in the 200-member House, similar to the former coalition of ODS, KDU-ČSL, TOP 09, STAN and the Pirates in the last election..
The common goal of the parties in the future governing coalition in the elections was to replace the current cabinet, according to ANO chair Andrej Babiš. "That is what united us, although of course there may have been some differences in the programmes. But the important thing is that we have agreed," he said after signing the coalition agreement. He said the parties would return to the programme declaration, which they finalised last week. According to SPD leader Tomio Okamura, the treaty symbolically marks the end of a government that has damaged Czech interests. Petr Macinka, the chairman of the Motorists, described the agreement as the first step in the change that the citizens asked for in the elections.
ANO, SPD and the Motorists announced the division of 16 government positions about a week after the October elections, but have not yet officially announced the nominees for ministerial positions. The coalition agreement confirmed the distribution of seats today. Nine seats will be held by ANO, which will occupy the posts of Prime Minister and Ministers of Finance, Industry, Health, Labour, Education, Interior, Local Development and Justice. The SPD is expected to nominate a trio of experts for the defence, agriculture and transport ministries. Motorists will lead the Foreign, Culture and Environment Ministries and will have a new Minister for Sport, Prevention and Health.
The future governing parties will return to the names of ministers at the end of November, Babiš said. He will then take the nomination to the Castle. "I will discuss this with the president (Petr Pavel), who wished to speak personally with each ministerial candidate," he added.
The coalition agreement also includes an agreement on the position of Speaker of the House of Commons, a position that belongs to the SPD by agreement of the coalition parties. The emerging coalition wants to nominate Okamura for the position. He will have an opponent in the secret ballot. The People's Party has announced that it will nominate the former deputy speaker of the lower house, Jan Bartosek.
Babiš said today that Okamura had received the support of the ANO club. He assumes that the SPD leader will be elected Speaker of the House. According to Macinka, Okamura visited the Motorists' Club today to present his vision as a nominee for the leadership of the lower house. "We consider it very polite, the discussion was very nice and President Okamura was extremely convincing," he said.
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