Babiš then insulted some other representatives of the government coalition in his speech. In response, the ministers left the meeting hall, and the meeting had to be interrupted for several tens of minutes.
“Our country is at risk. After every appearance of the Prime Minister, terrified citizens call us and are afraid of what is happening to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister speaks every day and citizens are worried about his mental health. Therefore, I think that we should have only one point, and that is the mental health of Prime Minister Fiala, so that he does not frighten our citizens. Mr. Prime Minister speaks every day and we can’t stop wondering what he actually means to us,” ANO head Babiš declared at the plenary session at the beginning of Friday’s meeting. The answer was disapproving pounding on the benches and shouts of “ugh” from the government deputies.
“What has come out of the mouth of the Prime Minister in recent days is truly unbelievable. I think you should rest and stop spouting nonsense,” added Babiš, who announced that he would speak for a very long time.
In his speech, Babiš alluded to the recent statements of Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS) that if he receives a mandate from the voters to run the country for the next four years, we will have salaries like in neighboring Germany. For these words, Fiala repeatedly received criticism that such an increase is unrealistic. “Who still believes these lies? I don’t understand what the Prime Minister is explaining to us here, and that’s why we’re all afraid for him,” Babiš said to himself.
Although members of the government were present in the meeting hall during Babiš’s first words, they gradually left him in protest, and the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Aleš Juchelka (ANO), who was in charge of the meeting, had to interrupt it. Babiš didn’t like that, saying that he doesn’t need ministers in the hall because he is talking to the citizens. At the same time, he insulted, for example, the chairman of the TOP 09 parliamentary club, Jan Jakob, who was in the hall. According to Babiš, it could have continued because Jakob spouts the same nonsense as the government, and when he hears him on TV, he “feels like jumping off the balcony”.
However, Juchelka had to interrupt the meeting due to the rules of procedure, which require that at least one member of the government be present in the hall during the meeting. Babiše also later warned him to avoid “various explicit diagnoses”.
Ministers of labor and social affairs Marian Jurečka (KDU-ČSL) and transport Martin Kupka (ODS) subsequently told journalists that the stream of insults from the mouth of ANO chairman Andrej Babiš could not be accepted.
“He insulted the prime minister in an unprecedented way, attacking his mental health,” explained Jurečka as he left the hall. “We cannot sit in the hall at a time when instead of a political discussion, only a stream of insults is heard,” added Kupka.
The leadership of the House then discussed the next course of action for about twenty minutes. Subsequently, Babiš stayed at the counter until half past twelve. However, he failed to convince the MPs and the proposal to include a new item was rejected more than once.
“Maybe some thought it was about the ex-prime minister,” voiced Speaker of the House Markéta Pekarová Adamová (TOP 09) a request from one of the coalition MPs to question the vote. It turned out in the system that he had voted for Babiš’s proposal, and therefore had the vote repeated. Even the second time, the proposal did not receive support. Members of ANO and SPD, which have a minority in the House, were in favor of the proposal.
