The Czech government avoided collapse on Wednesday after weathering a no-confidence vote sparked by a bitcoin scandal involving a drug dealer that has unsettled the nation’s political landscape.
Out of 192 MPs present, 98 opposed an opposition attempt to unseat Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s administration, averting the possibility of snap elections just four months ahead of scheduled general elections. In contrast, 94 MPs supported the motion to dismantle the government.
The motion of no-confidence arose from a scandal that led to the resignation of Czech Justice Minister Pavel Blažek from Fiala’s conservative Civic Democratic Party (ODS). He stepped down last month after the ministry accepted a €40 million bitcoin donation from a convicted drug dealer.
The cryptocurrency was donated by Tomáš Jiřikovský, who, according to the judicial system, operated an illicit darknet market selling drugs and had served prison time for embezzlement, drug trafficking, and illegal possession of weapons. Last week, Czech newspaper Deník N reported that the donation is under police investigation.
Blažek, who has been engulfed in several controversies ranging from pressuring judges to meeting a pro-Russian lobbyist, was nicknamed Don Pablo, a reference to the late Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. He maintains that his actions were “ultra-legal” and that Jiřikovský’s donation was intended as “a form of penance.”
The bitcoin scandal may boost the election chances of the leading populist candidate Andrej Babiš, head of the opposition ANO party, who governed the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2021.
Recent polls indicate ANO leading with 31.2 percent, while the governing Spolu (Together) coalition, including the ODS, lags behind with 21.6 percent.
Babiš has labeled the ODS “a criminal organization” and branded Fiala “the head of the mafia.”
The new Czech justice minister, Eva Decroix, said her main goal is to restore public confidence in the ministry and ensure a thorough investigation into the bitcoin scandal.
To overturn the government, at least 101 MPs in the 200-seat lower house would need to approve the motion. The government maintains a slim majority with 104 MPs.
Fiala’s government has survived four no-confidence votes since assuming office in 2021.
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