Czech Chamber of Deputies to assess state of emergency extension on Thursday

Prague, Nov 15 (CTK) - The Czech Chamber of Deputies is likely to deal with the government request for a further extension of the state of emergency on Thursday, its head Radek Vondráček (ANO) told Czech Television (CT) today.

A state of emergency has been in effect in the Czech Republic since October 5, and will run through November 20 if not extended.

Health Minister Jan Blatný (for ANO) said on Thursday that he would propose the government extend the state of emergency for another 30 days, until December 20. The government is set to discuss the proposal on Monday.

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) told CT today that the government will ask the Chamber of Deputies for the 30-day extension on Monday. He said some measures against the COVID-19 epidemic will have to be effective until Christmas in the Czech Republic.

MP Radim Fiala, who heads the lower house opposition group of the Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD), said his party would not support the 30-day extension. He said a maximum of one more week more was acceptable for SPD.

Pirates lower house group head Jakub Michálek said that MPs are yet to discuss the issue.

Vondráček said he expects a compromise to be reached in the lower house.

"It seems to me that in this situation, when we need the state of emergency as a legal framework, it is not possible that it would not be approved," he stated.

Five extraordinary lower house sessions are to be held next week based on requests of groups of MPs. A tax package, a proposal for cancelling the "super-gross" salary, and a bill on the registry of real estate owners are among the issues on the agenda. The session on the state of emergency would therefore be the sixth one.

Michálek said that if bills were not discussed now, they would not take effect because of the general election that is to be held next autumn.