The leadership of the ČSSD will discuss the end of Fajt and Soukup with Staněk on Thursday

Prague - The narrow leadership of the Social Democracy party will discuss the situation surrounding Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) at its meeting on Thursday. His resignation from the head of the ministry is being demanded in connection with the recent dismissal of Jiří Fajt, the director of the National Gallery in Prague (NGP), and Michal Soukup, the director of the Olomouc Museum of Art, for example, by a petition with more than 6000 signatories, and the opposition parties are also critical. ČSSD chairman Jan Hamáček does not plan to make any changes at the head of the Ministry of Culture. According to him, the decision will not be made at the meeting that Staněk will attend.

Staněk announced the dismissal of both directors in mid-April, justifying it with their shortcomings discovered by ministerial inspections in the mentioned institutions. In Fajt's case, he criticized especially the author's contract, which allowed Fajt to earn approximately one million crowns over 16 months for preparing exhibitions, in addition to his director's salary. However, similar contracts are also made by other directors of state-funded organizations, mentioned by the director of the National Theatre, Jan Burian.

In the cultural community, an initiative emerged after Fajt's dismissal calling for Staněk's resignation. It already has nearly 6000 signatories, including architect Eva Jiřičná, photographer Josef Koudelka, directors Jan Hřebejk and Olga Sommerová, head of the National Theatre's drama department Daniel Špinar, and politician Karel Schwarzenberg. However, a second petition was also created, in which mainly younger art historians and artists declare their desire to negotiate with Staněk. They are also expected to meet on Thursday.

According to information from ČTK, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) also received a letter from the management of the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which suspends the planned cooperation with the NGP. Babiš has repeatedly discussed the establishment of a Prague branch of the famous institution with the French president and the management of the Pompidou Centre. The NGP, under Fajt's leadership, who has several years of cooperation with this institution behind him, was to be the Czech partner for future collaboration.

Babiš met with Fajt on Monday. According to Fajt, the Prime Minister perceives the situation in the largest Czech collection institution focused on fine arts as serious. However, the Prime Minister reiterated on social networks that culture, according to the coalition agreement, is under the purview of the Social Democracy party, and he must respect the decisions of the coalition partner. "I will definitely be closely monitoring how quickly they announce a transparent selection procedure for the position of NGP director," Babiš stated on Twitter.

Hamáček considers transparent and as soon as possible announced selection procedures for both director positions to be the best solution. Last week he told journalists that he is not planning to propose Staněk's resignation from the government. Staněk had been on several foreign trips in recent weeks; Social Democrats initially planned to discuss the matter with him at a meeting of the leadership. Staněk, like other ministers from the ČSSD, is expected to attend the Thursday meeting, which will take place in the Chamber of Deputies.

"We never said that we would discuss Mr. Staněk's dismissal from the government. We will address the current political situation, the preparation for the European elections, and we will certainly touch on the situation in the Ministry of Culture. It will not be about addressing personnel issues," Hamáček stated. Statutory deputy chairman of the ČSSD Roman Onderka had previously repeated several times that the Social Democracy party should consider dismissing the Minister of Culture. "That's his opinion, however, we are not planning anything of the sort," Hamáček said.