Czech Senate Mulls Stripping President of Powers Over Health
Czech Senate to Discuss Stripping President of His Powers
(Bloomberg) -- Czech lawmakers will discuss relieving President Milos Zeman of his duties due to ill health -- a development that could determine who gets first shot at forming a government after elections this month.
Zeman, 77, was rushed to the intensive-care unit of a Prague hospital on Oct. 10, a day after his political ally, billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis, unexpectedly lost the vote. Zeman didn’t allow doctors to disclose the precise diagnosis and his office has faced growing criticism for not providing information about his ability to continue his work.
That prompted Senate speaker Milos Vystrcil to request information from the hospital where Zeman is being treated. Citing the response, Vystrcil said Monday that Zeman is currently unable to work and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to return in the next few weeks.
“Unfortunately, there’s no other option but to discuss when and how we’ll activate article 66 of the constitution,” Vystrcil said, referring to a clause that would split the president’s key powers between the prime minister and the speaker of the lower house if Zeman is deemed unable to work.
Under the constitution, the upper and lower chambers can pass a motion to declare the president unfit to perform his duties “due to serious reasons.” That would leave him formally still in office, but with his powers executed by other officials. Vystrcil said earlier that such a transfer could be temporary and last until the president can return.
In such a scenario, the president’s main post-election function -- naming a prime minister-designate -- would switch to the speaker of the lower house. The group of parties vying to replace Babis’s government has said that post will belong to them after a new parliament convenes on Nov. 8.
The Senate’s leadership will meet with all parliamentary parties on Tuesday to discuss further steps, according to Vystrcil.
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