None of the hot candidates has publicly commented on the nomination, however, according to a reliable source, it has practically been decided. “Metnar was originally supposed to take over the defense, but then (SPD chairman Tomio) Okamura talked about the dismissal of the police chief and everything changed. Babiš sharply criticized it and it was clear that the situation would be different,” he said.
Okamura is indicted for the posters that the SPD used in the regional elections and which, according to the police, were racist and xenophobic. It was his criminal prosecution that Okamura cited three days after the election as the reason why he would like to replace police chief Martin Vondrášek. Babiš called his statement inappropriate and questioned Okamura’s nomination for the post of Minister of the Interior.
“Several names were considered, but Metnar is experienced, he has already worked inside and has trust. The name of Zůna was floated before, but after the casting it was clear that the power departments must be led by non-conflicting professionals,” another source familiar with the negotiations on the form of the current government told Novinkám.
In the past, Zůna was one of the candidates for the post of head of the army, promoted by President Miloš Zeman, but Defense Minister Jana Černochová (ODS) had other plans. “Frankly, I would like to imagine a bigger fighter,” said Černochová and called Karel Řehka, then the head of the National Office for Cyber Security, from civilian.
Three-star general
Řehka as a one-star general headed the army and Zůna, a three-star general with the second highest rank in the army, was delegated to China as a military attaché. In January of this year, he “retired” when his commitment to the army ended.
“I expect that Mr. President will appoint him. They know each other from the army,” said Radim Fiala, chairman of the SPD club in Terezia Tománková’s Party, without explicitly mentioning Zůna’s name. “Due to his army career and years of acquaintance with Pavel, however, his nomination is practically certain,” the source confirmed to the editors.
Photo: army.cz
On the right, Lieutenant General Jaromír Zůna
He already held the post inside
Lubomír Metnar reached the highest levels of public life not through a party career, but thanks to his expertise and reputation as a reliable crisis manager and formerly a top police officer.
For example, he was behind the revelation of the perpetrators of the arson attack in Vítkov. In 2017, he headed the Ministry of the Interior in Babiš’s first government for less than a year, after which he headed the Ministry of Defense until 2021.
