PM Fiala's Party Stands By Justice Minister After Coalition Partners Demand His Resignation

Prime Minister Petr Fiala said that he will wait for an explanation from Czech Pirate Party leader Ivan Bartos after its members passed a resolution accusing Justice Minister Pavel Blazek of undermining public trust in the rule of law.

• The Pirates passed their resolution by a majority of two-thirds in an online vote called by their MEP Marketa Gregorova. The resolution was drafted amid Blazek's possible conflict of interest in a probe into corruption involving municipal in Brno, where Blazek served as a municipal councillor.
• Both Prime Minister Fiala and the Brno branch of his ruling ODS party expressed confidence in the Justice Minister. Blazek himself argued that less than a third of all members of the Pirate Party backed the call to oust him amid fairly low turnout in their internal poll.
• Prime Minister Fiala criticised the Pirate Party for its conduct, while other coalition parties refused to join criticism of Blazek. KDU-CSU's Marek Vyborny, who is preparing to take over as Agriculture Minister, said that Czech MEPs should "focus on defending Czech interests in Brussels."