Ailing Czech President Unable To Perform Duties: Hospital

Czech President Milos Zeman is unable to perform his duties because of poor health, senate speaker Milos Vystrcil told reporters on Monday, citing a hospital report

Prague, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Oct, 2021 ) :Czech President Milos Zeman is unable to perform his duties because of poor health, senate speaker Milos Vystrcil told reporters on Monday, citing a hospital report.

He said it was time to consider activating a constitutional article handing the presidential powers to the parliament speaker and the prime minister.

Zeman was rushed to hospital on October 10, a day after the general election.

Local media said he suffered from serious liver problems, while Zeman's team has kept silent about his condition.

The president was expected to moderate talks on a new government to be formed by the three-party centre-right Together alliance and another alliance of two centrist parties.

The two alliances now have 108 of the 200 seats in parliament and Together leader Petr Fiala is seen as the next prime minister.

Billionaire Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis, Zeman's political ally, said last week he would stay out of the government talks as his populist ANO movement, which narrowly came second in the vote, would go into opposition.

"The Military University Hospital maintains that President Milos Zeman is not able to perform his duties because of his health," Vystrcil said, quoting the letter.

The senate asked the hospital for information about Zeman's health last week amid a dire shortage of news about the president, and it got the letter on Monday morning.

"Considering the character of his illness, the long-term prognosis of his health condition is seen as most uncertain." "The possibility that he will resume his work duties in the weeks to come is seen as not very likely," reads the letter.

Vystrcil said it was now time to "discuss when and how to activate Article 66 of the constitution".

The article allows parliament to declare the president "unable to execute his official duties" in a vote, with the president's powers taken over by the outgoing prime minister and the new parliament speaker, who would name the next premier.

Last week, Zeman signed a resolution calling the first meeting of the new parliament after the election for November 8, the first step required by the constitution after the vote.

Following the meeting, Babis's government will formally step down and the process of forming the new government can begin after that.