Thursday, November 4th, 2021
Zeman in the clinic for weeks
Czech President is relocated
One day after the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic, President Zeman is hospitalized. Doctors remain silent about his condition. After more than three weeks, the 77-year-old is now leaving the intensive care unit. People in Prague are impatiently hoping to return.
Czech President Milos Zeman has been transferred from the intensive care unit of the Prague Military Hospital to a normal ward. However, he was not allowed to receive the incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Babis or any other visits for the time being, the hospital management told the CTK news agency.
77-year-old Zeman was taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit on October 10, one day after the parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic. According to the clinic, the politician is being treated for complications of one of his chronic diseases. Further details on the diagnosis have not yet been disclosed. According to earlier information from the presidential office, Zeman was last sick and spent eight days in the hospital in September. At that time it was said that it was not a life-threatening situation.
In Prague, people are impatiently waiting for the head of state to resume his official duties, because right now he has a key role to play. Only the president can accept the resignation of the previous government and decide who to give a new mandate to form a government.
On Tuesday, two previous liberal-conservative opposition alliances agreed to form a new government – albeit without an official mandate to form a government. The two party alliances had clearly won the parliamentary elections on October 8th and 9th against the government coalition of the populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
The head of the ODS civil party, Petr Fiala, who was chosen by the election winners as the future head of government, announced the signing of the coalition agreement for next Monday.