Czech Government Prepares for No-Confidence Vote After Bitcoin Uproar
(MENAFN) Czech legislators are preparing for a high-stakes vote of no confidence on Wednesday targeting Prime Minister Petr Fiala’s coalition, following a heated and lengthy debate centered on a controversial bitcoin donation to the Justice Ministry.
The no-confidence motion was introduced by the opposition ANO party and backed by the far-right Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD). The move comes in response to the Justice Ministry’s acceptance of a bitcoin donation worth one billion Czech crowns from a convicted felon, according to reporting by Ceske Noviny.
The scandal has already claimed the position of Justice Minister Pavel Blazek, who stepped down amid intense backlash over his role in authorizing the cryptocurrency deal.
Despite his resignation, opposition parties are now pushing for the dismissal of Finance Minister Zbynek Stanjura, whom they allege was aware of the donation in advance.
After over 13 hours of nonstop debate on Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies paused the session late at night. Lawmakers resumed deliberations Wednesday morning, with a final vote anticipated before the end of the day.
While the opposition has mounted a fierce critique, the numbers remain in Fiala's favor. Together, ANO and SPD command 91 seats in the 200-member lower chamber—10 short of the 101 needed to bring down the administration.
Czech President Petr Pavel previously cautioned that disrupting the current government so close to upcoming elections could lead to political volatility.
The controversy centers around a March decision by the Justice Ministry to accept 468 bitcoins from Tomas Jirikovsky, a convicted drug trafficker. Jirikovsky agreed to hand over a portion of a digital wallet containing the cryptocurrency in exchange for help accessing it—a deal authorized by then-Justice Minister Blazek.
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