Babiš skips conflict-of-interest debate in the Czech parliament, visits Plzeň hospital instead
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš missed an extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies called by opposition parties over his conflict of interest and subsidies for his former firm Agrofert. He spent the day in Plzeň attending a hospital ground-breaking and called the debate "nonsensical".
Opposition moves against Babiš and Agrofert
On 11 June, the Czech lower house opened an opposition-called extraordinary session dedicated to state subsidies flowing to the Agrofert holding. The debate centres on a fresh amendment to the conflict-of-interest law, which critics argue will benefit Babiš and his circle. Parties including ODS, STAN, the Pirates, KDU‑ČSL and TOP 09 demanded that subsidy payments to Agrofert be suspended until the European Union confirms it will reimburse them. Babiš transferred his Agrofert shares into a trust earlier this year.
Of course the session is nonsensical, about nothing. The only interest I have is for the citizens of the Czech Republic to prosper. To be healthy, for our children to be healthy, mentally healthy.
A day in Plzeň instead of the chamber
Babiš did not appear in the chamber, excusing himself on work grounds. He had travelled to Plzeň, starting at 10:00 with a visit to the city's university hospital and the ceremonial launch of a new surgical pavilion. The schedule kept him in the western Czech city through the afternoon; his last stop, a meeting with the Regional Chamber of Commerce, was planned for 14:30.
The parliamentary timetable shifts
The opposition-led session was capped at three hours. At 15:00 another extraordinary meeting – this time initiated by the governing coalition – took over the floor, continuing the second reading of a contentious building‑law amendment.
- Babiš begins his Plzeň visit at the university hospital and later launches construction of a new surgical pavilion.
- The extraordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies on Babiš's conflict of interest opens.
- Babiš's final stop in Plzeň: a meeting with the Regional Chamber of Commerce.
- A government‑called extraordinary session on the building‑law amendment begins.
The prime minister's reaction
During the Plzeň ceremony, Babiš dismissed the Prague proceedings as a one‑topic show. "The opposition has only one topic, and that's Babiš. Without Babiš they wouldn't lift a finger," he told reporters.
