As election winner Andrej Babiš tentatively tests the waters with respect to possible coalition partners it is becoming increasingly clear that forming a stable government will not be an easy task. Why are so many parties reluctant to join him in government and what are the outlooks for the Czech Republic? Those are questions Radio Praha's Daniela Lazarová discussed with political scientist Vladimíra Dvořáková from the Prague School of Economics and began by asking how difficult it may prove for Babiš to form a stable government.

...Is there any chance that Babiš would stay out of the government in order to ease the way? 

“I think not. Possibly only in the event that he would be charged. Under such circumstances there might be pressure from members of his party and others for him to do that. But I think he will not do it at the present time because he was the main reason – the main personality – why people voted for ANO, so he might argue that he has a strong mandate to govern.” 

“There are all kinds of alternatives. We may even have early elections. That could happen, but at this moment we can say that if early elections were to take place in two or three months the support for Babiš would be even stronger. So I think that there are several possibilities and the individual players cannot say they will accept something immediately, but I think there will be negotiations that will lead to the formation of some kind of cabinet.” 

Read full interview.