Czech ruling party approves deal11 May 2018 23:31
Czech ruling party approves coalition deal, partner to poll members
Robert Muller, Jan Lopatka
3 Min Read
PRAGUE (Reuters) - The Czech centrist ANO party on Friday approved a coalition agreement for a new government with the centre-left Social Democrats, subject to a poll of Social Democrat party members.
The minority government would aim to boost spending on defence, wages and benefits as well as infrastructure, according to a policy agenda agreed by leaders of the two parties, which Reuters saw.
It would maintain a pro-Western policy course but keep the country outside the euro zone and resist any EU pressure to accept asylum-seekers transferred from other EU states.
�This is a solid base for the creation of a stable government,� Social Democrat chief Jan Hamacek said after a party leadership meeting.
But the deal still needs the approval of rank and file Social Democrats; the outcome of their poll, likely to be announced on June 15, is far from certain.
Prime Minister Andrej Babis�s ANO party was the clear winner of an election in October, but lacks a majority. The coalition will still be in a minority, with 93 of 200 lower house seats, and require ad hoc backing from the small Communist party.
Most parties, and also some prominent Social Democrats, have rejected joining a cabinet led by the billionaire businessman because he has been charged with fraudulently tapping a European Union subsidy a decade ago. He calls the investigation a plot.
As a condition of forming a coalition, the Social Democrats secured an agreement that Babis will step down if a court finds him guilty in the fraud case.
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