Czech President Zeman wants to appoint new PM 

Czech President Milos Zeman confirms to name a caretaker government and dismissed the notion that is in contradiction with the constitution. The government of experts is to include tripartite representatives and to rule for some three months if there are early elections, he said after a meeting of the tripartite, a body comprising representatives of the government, trade unions and employers, whose aim is to help maintain social peace. . He only said he wants to appoint the new prime minister at 15:00 on Tuesday.

"Personally, I believe that whatever the length of its mandate a government of experts may resolve the question of minimum wage," Zeman said, replying to journalists´ question.

He thus confirmed that he preferred this solution after the resignation of Prime Minister Petr Necas (Civic Democratic Party, ODS).There is a question of whether the caretaker government will gain confidence in the Chamber of Deputies.Parties do not seem to back the option.

The ODS, TOP 09 and LIDEM are trying to renew the current coalition government, while the opposition Social Democrats (CSSD) and Communists (KSCM) are demanding the dissolution of the Chamber of Deputies and early elections. Zeman said he did not consider his planned step anti-constitutional or at variance with existing habits. He dismissed the criticism by some constitutional experts with the argument that one only has to read the constitution under which the president names the prime minister and is not limited in any way, not even by the lower house´s preliminary consent.

The choice of the ministers and further collaborators is then fully in the hands of the prime minister-designate, Zeman pointed out.

"On the other hand, I can tell you I met experts in constitutional law many times and I´ve drawn the conclusion that if you discuss things with three of them, you hear them present four different opinions because at least one of them is a schizophrenic," Zeman said.

"The constitution says the prime minister chooses his collaborators. I firmly believe that representatives of two vital parts of social peace should be directly or indirectly in the government of experts," Zeman said.