Czech President Milos Zeman has appointed a new centre-left, three-party government, ending arduous and lengthy coalition-building talks after the country's parliamentary election at the end of October.
The new government, comprising the left-leaning Social Democrats; the centrist Action of Dissatisfied Citizens movement, known as ANO; and the centrist Christian Democrats, holds 111 votes in the 200-seat lower house of parliament.
The new government is expected to champion boosting infrastructure spending to help the local economy recover from its protracted recession and prepare the country for seeking a euro adoption as early as 2020.
The freshly-named cabinet—which has 16 ministers, including premier Bohuslav Sobotka —holds its first meeting later on Wednesday before individual cabinet members begin taking their offices. The process of the ministries' handover will continue until Friday.
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In a statement, President Barroso congratulated PM Sobotka on his appointment, saying: "This appointment comes at an important time for the Czech Republic and for Europe more generally. I am confident that you will make a valuable contribution to our joint efforts to successfully move forward with our common European project."
Similarly, President van Rompuy offered his congratulations, saying: "I am confident that his [President Sobotka's] leadership will successfully take the country through challenges ahead and continue Czech Republic's constructive role and contribution to important European and regional issues". Press release
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