STATISTICIAN JAN Fischer was appointed Czech prime minister yesterday, and pledged to guide his country smoothly through its European Union presidency, mitigate the impact of the global economic downturn, and prepare for early general elections in October.
Mr Fischer will now appoint a non-partisan “government of experts” and take over on May 9th from incumbent premier Mirek Topolanek, who was forced to resign after losing a confidence vote in parliament late last month.
The fall of his coalition shook confidence in Prague’s EU presidency, which ends on June 30th, and raised further fears about the fate of the bloc’s beleaguered Lisbon Treaty, which has yet to be ratified by the largely Eurosceptic upper house Czech parliament.
The senate is expected to debate the treaty next month, and its fate hangs in the balance.
Czech president Václav Klaus is one of its most vehement critics, and many senators are of similar mind; the treaty must be approved by all EU members to come into force across the bloc.
“I am aware the situation is not easy, but I am convinced you will handle your role well and I’m ready to help you in this,” Mr Klaus told Mr Fischer after appointing him premier.
Mr Fischer said: “I hope we can put together a good team in the coming talks, a sound team, a hardworking team, a team of good personalities and a government that will be able to communicate.
“This cabinet will have to fulfil with honour all tasks stemming from the [EU] presidency. It will also have to minimise the impact of the economic crisis on the Czech population . . . It will not be a government of visions, it will be a government of hard work.”
The two main Czech parties reached rare agreement over the nomination of Mr Fischer, and have agreed compromise measures to fight the economic crisis.
