Coalition leaders settle differences over CEZ company

Prague, Jan 31 (CTK) - The leaders of the governing parties explained to one another the statements made by Deputy Prime Minister Vit Rakusan about CEZ at Tuesday's coalition meeting, Education Minister Mikulas Bek (Mayors and Independents, (STAN) told reporters as he arrived for today's cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Petr Fiala (Civic Democrats, ODS) told CTK through the press department of the government office that he would not comment on the internal meeting.

Rakusan's statement was previously criticised by a number of opposition and coalition politicians, including Fiala, and was strongly opposed by the Chamber of Deputies Speaker and TOP 09 leader Marketa Pekarova Adamova.

Politicians assess the atmosphere in the coalition as good, and according to Deputy Prime Minister Vlastimil Valek (TOP 09), it does not resemble the open hatred of the previous coalition of ANO and Social Democrats (CSSD).

On Monday, Rakusan said during a public meeting in Sokolov, West Bohemia, that the government is negotiating a payout to minority shareholders of CEZ. When asked when the state would buy CEZ, he said he hoped the current cabinet would be able to do so. He later wrote on the X network that he had given incorrect information and that "no such steps are underway."

Fiala said on Tuesday that he was surprised by the statement, saying Rakusan did not realise what his responsibilities were at a company traded on the stock exchange. "It would be good if we did not surprise each other like this in the government and if we all paid more attention to the common consensus," he said.

Pekarova Adamova told Czech Television ahead of the coalition meeting that Rakusan should bear some consequences for this. "It's not possible to get past the fact that he just said some nonsense and nothing happened," she said.

Bek said today that he only attended the part of the coalition meeting that concerned the education budget. "It seemed to me that the party chairs had resolved the issue and that somehow it didn't affect the substantive discussion," he said. The coalition meeting was constructive and substantive on all sides, he added.

"I think relations are very good. If you compare it with the situation after two years in government - such honest, deep and open hatred as there was after two years in the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) is not like that," Valek mentioned the former coalition of ANO and Social Democrats. Regarding Rakusan, he said he is too old to be extremely critical. Everyone sometimes makes statements that are not optimal, he added.

Transport Minister Martin Kupka (ODS) said the cabinet is aware that it is facing important tasks in the area of economy and reform steps. "We have to overcome the problems in communication and we will overcome them," he said.

The share price of CEZ, of which the state holds roughly 70 percent, has held steady at around 880 crowns in the previous few days. Following Rakusan's statement on Monday evening, the company's shares first rose to 904.50 crowns on Tuesday from Monday's 876 crowns, before gradually falling to 880 crowns in the afternoon.

In May, the government approved a draft law on corporate transformations, according to which 75 percent of the votes of shareholders present at the general meeting would be enough to split companies instead of the 90 percent of votes of all shareholders still needed. According to analysts, the proposal will facilitate the possible division and nationalisation of part of the CEZ Group.

($1 = 22.907 crowns)

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