Vote On "Lex Babis" Postponed As Opposition Resorts To Obstruction Again

The Chamber of Deputies did not get to vote on an amendment tightening the rules on media ownership by politicians, which the main opposition ANO party claims is targeting its leader Andrej Babis. The business tycoon and former Prime Minster is estimated to own almost a third of the Czech media industry, including two major newspapers (Lidove Noviny and Mlada Fronta Dnes), which repeatedly provoked allegations of skewing the public debate.

• The lower house held an extraordinary session today to discuss the legislation but failed to advance to a vote after ANO lawmakers delivered a marathon of speeches. They spent most of the time criticising the government's fiscal consolidation package, despite calls from the presidium to stick to the agenda of the meeting.
• The meeting was adjourned after ANO asked for a break for a meeting of their parliamentary caucus. Seznam Zpravy reports that the earliest when the Chamber of deputies could vote on the law is June 14.
• This was not the first time when the opposition used parliamentary obstruction, which has become an increasingly common practice in Czechia. Earlier this year, ANO and SPD tried to filibuster a debate on pension indexation and signalled that they could use the same measures to hinder legislative works on the government's austerity package.