Prague - In an attempt to unblock the ongoing coalition talks, the election-winning Social Democrats (CSSD) offered its possible coalition partner, the Christian Democrats (KDU-CSL), the posts of agriculture minister, culture minister and minister without portfolio. Both the CSSD and ANO 2011, the third party involved in the talks, said it was the last offer.
KDU-CSL chairman Pavel Belobradek announced this offer after meeting with the representatives of the CSSD and ANO 2011 earlier today.
Belobradek called the offer a "friendly gesture" and said that his party would discuss it. However, he eventually said that the offer was not enough. "The KDU-CSL wants three full-fledged ministries," Belobradek said.
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The Agriculture Ministry is a priority for the KDU-CSL. The party previously announced that it would not join the coalition government if it did not get the ministry.
The dispute over the Agriculture Ministry has been blocking the coalition talks for several weeks, because the CSSD is reportedly also interested in the department. ANO 2011 says it does not want to control the ministry directly, but prefers the next minister to be from the CSSD.
The possibility of a minority Social Democrat government supported by ANO 2011 has also been discussed by the two parties in the past weeks, but it is apparently not a preferred solution. "We still prefer a majority coalition, the country needs stability," said a top CSSD official.
The KDU-CSL rejected two previous offers made by the Social Democrats and ANO 2011 earlier this week. "Our priority is still the Agriculture Ministry, but we do not want to quit the talks," said the Christian Democrat leader.
The Christian Democrats are interested in the Agriculture Ministry because it partially handles the return of church property seized by the communist regime between 1948 and 1989.
