Prague, Oct 24 (CTK) – ANO, the winner of the weekend Czech general election, will offer the possibility of cooperation in the next government to the Civic Democrats (ODS), who fared second, ANO chairman Andrej Babis and first deputy head Jaroslav Faltynek told reporters today.
The ANO and ODS representatives will meet in the Chamber of Deputies this evening.
However, ODS chairman Petr Fiala said after a meeting of the party’s deputy group that the Civic Democrats would not negotiate with ANO about a government or any other form of support. The ANO-ODS meeting will deal with the arrangement of the Chamber of Deputies only, he added.
“We have 103 MPs along with the ODS, we have a similar programme. The fundamental difference is in EET (electronic sales registration). Yes, we definitely want to give this offer to the ODS,” Babis said.
While the ANO-headed Finance Ministry has pushed through the EET, the ODS is strictly opposed to it.
The media have reported that the ODS does not want to cooperate with ANO. This is why ANO representatives want to ask the ODS about particular reasons, whether they are programme-related or personal, Faltynek said.
However, it is not realistic that Babis would be ousted from the next government, Faltynek added.
ANO representatives want to prove that the data on which the police based their charges of Babis and Faltynek on suspicion of an EU subsidy fraud is “complete nonsense,” Faltynek added.
Primarily the second round of the post-election talks should deal with the government formation, while this round will mainly touch upon the Chamber of Deputies structure. It seems that an agreement on this will be reached, Faltynek said.
ANO won the general election with 29.6 percent, followed by the ODS with 11.3 percent and the third Pirates with 10.8 percent of the vote. Another six parties entered the Chamber of Deputies: the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) of Tomio Okamura with 10.6 percent, the Communists (KSCM) with 7.8 percent, the Social Democrats (CSSD) with 7.3 percent, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL) with 5.8 percent, TOP 09 with 5.3 percent and the Mayors and Independents (STAN) with 5.2 percent.
ANO will have 78 seats in the 200-seat lower house, the ODS 25, the SPD and the Pirates 22 each, the KSCM and the CSSD 15 each, the KDU-CSL ten, TOP 09 seven and STAN six.
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